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THE 



HISTORY OF WENHAM, 



CIVIL AXD ECCLESIASTICAL, 



FTxCM ITS SETTLEMENT IX 1639, TO 1S60. 



BY 

MYROX 0. ALLEX. M. 1). 



BOSTON : 

PRINTED BY BAZIN & CHANDLER, 37 CORNHILL, 
18^0. 



L. 



/C-. 



PREFACE 



The history of a small country town, and that one no way 
conspicuous among its neighbors, can hardly be expected to 
furnish much to interest the general reader. Such a work must 
be made up of particulars and minute details. It is seldom that 
great events or distinguished characters occur to give life and 
interest to the story. The narrative must derive its claim to 
the reader's attention mainly from his acquaintance with the 
scenes, or liis connections with the actors described. 

Yet there is a point of view from which local history may de- 
serve the attention of the thoughtful and philosopliic mind. 
The township is the primary and fundamental institution of our 
government — the basis upon which the superstructure of state 
and national organization is erected. The State is but a con- 
federation of towns as the general government is a confedera- 
tion of States. In either case those powders only are entrusted 
to the larger body which could not be conveniently exercised 
by the smaller. In this consist the strength and security of oiu: 
repubhc, that so much of the power is retained by the people 
themselves, and so little delegated to those who represent them 
at Boston and Washington. 

Those little independent municipal corporations are therefore 
the germ of all our free institutions. Whoever would trace 
the history of " Liberty in America," must study the history of 



IV PREFACE. 

towns. From their origin, these were miniature republics, 
where public affairs were discussed in open meeting, and the 
result determined strictly by the majority of votes. These 
town meetings — scenes, as they often were, of earnest conten- 
tion, and even wranghng — were the schools of republicanism. 
When the Provincial Government was overthrown, it was 
several years before a State Government was organized, yet 
there was nothing of anarchy or confusion ; each town went on 
with its own affairs, and the construction of a state, and after- 
wards of a national organization, was a work of little difficulty 
It was merely the development and application of principles 
which had existed and been in operation ever since the landing 
at Plymouth. In this point of view the history and interior 
structure of a New England township, is the history in minia- 
ture of the nation. 

The problem of history may be stated thus : given, the 
present state, condition, and character of a people, to determine 
those influences in the past which have tended to produce these 
results. It is the task of the historian to trace the development 
of these influences, and so to arrange the history of events as 
to give a miniature of the character and spirit of the age which 
he describes. He must set before us not only great men — 
statesmen and scholars — but also ordinary men in their ordinary 
dress, and engaged in their ordinary employments. He must 
visit the dwellings of the poor and the abodes of misery as well 
as the palaces of wealth and luxury. No anecdote, no familiar 
saying is insignificant which can throw light upon the state of 
educatiaji, morals or religion, or mark the progress of the 
human mind. 

Since the natural features of a country have an important 
influence upon the character of its inhabitants, they must be 
described in their primitive wildness as well as in their present 
state of cultivation and improvement. He must paint the stern 
and sturdy Puritan, shrewd as the shrewdest in worldly things, 
yet sacrificing all at the call of duty: trampling on bishops, 



PREFACE. V 

lords and kings, but reverencing the majesty of the law and 
bowing in the dust before his Maker. He must trace the slowly 
kindling flame of Hberty from its first faint sparks till it burst 
forth in the revolution. He must mark the progress of educa- 
tion and literature, the changes in manners and modes of life. 
He must deduce,_by a process strictly logical, the Yankee of the 
19th century, from the Puritan of Plymouth Rock. And with 
all he should mingle those lessons of instruction and true 
philosophy which history is designed to teach. 

The author is deeply sensible how far he has fallen short of 
the ideal here proposed. His time has been limited, his 
materials imperfect, and his abilities [inadequate to the task. 

It is much to be regretted that the work was not undertaken 
fifteen or twenty years ago. Many interesting incidents, espe- 
cially of revolutionary history, which were recorded only in the 
memories of aged inhabitants, might then have been preserved, 
but are now irrecoverably lost. 

In preparing this volume, I have made a careful examination 
of the Town, Church, and Parish Records, the State archives, 
the histories of adjoining towns, the Historical Collections, and 
several Histories of Massachusetts, as well as of many manu- 
script papers. It is possible that some incidents of interest may 
have been omitted, and that some errors of detail may have 
crept into the narrative. Those v/ho have had much experience 
in researches of this character, know the extreme difficulty of 
avoiding such errors, and will be least disposed to criticise them 
with severity. 

The author would take this opportunity to acknowledge spe- 
cial obhgations to Dr. John Porter, Col. Paul Porter, Charles 
A. Kilham and B. C. Putnam, for valuable materials and gen- 
erous encouragement. Many others whom he has had occasion 
to consult, have expressed a kindly interest in the undertaking. 
He now with regret takes leave of a work which has occupied 
so many of his leisure hours in a manner pleasant, and as he 
fondly trusts, not wholly unprofitable. It has been to him a la- 



VI PREFACE. 

bor of love, and if it shall have the effect of awakening in the 
people of Wenham an interest in the antiquities and history of- 
this ancient town, — if it shall excite them to emulate the vir- 
tues and avoid the errors of their forefathers, he will feel that 
he has had his reward. 



CONTENTS 



Topography, 13 

Civil History, 23" 

Common Lands, 49 

Revolutionary Period, 69 

Revolutionary Soldiers, 83 

Statistics of Wenham, 99 

Public Schools, 104 

Fire Department, 122 

Professions, 123 

Burial Ground, 126 

Personal and Family History, 133 

Col. Timothy Pickering, 148 

Ecclesiastical History, 152 

Meeting Houses, &c 194 

Baptist Church, 204 

Conclusion, 213 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 



GEOGEAPHY 



The town of Wenliam is situated in the central 
part of the county of Essex, in north latitude 42° 
36'^, and west longitude 70° 52^ At a distance of 
about 20 miles N. N. E. from Boston, six miles N. 
from Salem, 16 miles S. of Newburyport, and 18 
miles S. E. from Lawrence. It is bounded north by 
Hamilton, east by Manchester, south by Beverly, 
and west by Danvers and Topsfield. In length, the 
town extends about six and one-half miles, while in 
width it is two and one-fourth miles at the widest 
point, and at the narrowest but half a mile. Its 
area amounts to about eight and one-half square 
miles, or 5400 acres. 

The general surface of the town is level, and con- 
siderable of it is rather low and swampy. The 
highest elevation within the limits of the town is 
Lord's Hill, in the part of it called Egypt. This 
hill affords a beautiful prospect of the sea and of 
Salem harbor, as well as of the country for many 
miles around. Moulton's Hill, a small but graceful- 
ly rounded eminence, rises at the head of Cedar 



14 HISTORY OF WEXHAM. 

Pond, and affords a delightful though limited view 
of a highly cultivated country, diversified by the 
lake, spread out in quiet beauty, as it were beneath 
the feet of the observer, and contrasting strikingly 
with the dense, dark green foliage, which over- 
spreads the vast swamp to the northward. There 
are several other hills within the town, none of 
them rising to any great height, but some of which 
afi'ord prospects rarely exceeded for varied beauty. 
The eastern part of the town is traversed by the 
rugged and precipitous range of hills, which skirts 
almost the entire length of Salem harbor upon the 
north, and which seems like a rampart raised by 
nature, as a barrier to the wild fury of the winds 
and waves. 

The fundamental rock of the town is sienite, of 
the detritus of which its soil is principally compos- 
ed, though more or less modified by diluvial agen- 
cy. About 1500 acres of the surface is low and 
marshy; not far from 400 acres must be allowed 
or ponds and streams, and perhaps there are six 
hundred acres more of wild, rough land, fit only for 
wood and timber. The remainder is most of it sus- 
ceptible of high and profitable cultivation. It does 
not, indeed, yield so large a harvest as the strong 
er and heavier soils of some other parts of the 
State ; but at the same time, it is much easier of 
cultivation, and, according to the amount of labor 
bestowed, few lands, at least in New England, pro- 
duce a more abundant return. It is especially 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 15 

adapted to the raising of fruit and vegetables for 
market, both of which are produced in considera- 
ble quantities and to good profit. Grass, Indian 
corn, rye, oats, barley and potatoes are also valua- 
ble and profitable crops. 

The surface of the town appears to have been 
originally covered with a heavy growth of pine, 
hemlock, spruce, larch, cedar, juniper, all the spe- 
cies of oak, maple, hickory, birch, elm and ash. 
At the present time only such portions as are con- 
sidered of little value for other purposes, are left to 
become covered with forests. The " Manchester 
woods," so called, extend over a considerable por- 
tion of the east end of the town ; while on the 
north, the great swamp is left almost entirely in a 
state of nature. This swamp, which extends into 
Hamilton and Topsfield, is estimated to cover about 
2000 acres. It furnishes valuable stores of fire- 
wood, while some of the islands which it contains, 
are covered with excellent timber. Great fires 
sometimes rage here in dry seasons, burning below, 
as well as above the surface of the ground, and 
causing great destruction before they can be extin- 
guished. Here are accumulated the remains of the 
decaying vegetation of centuries. Large portions 
of it contain valuable deposits of peat. The waters 
of the swamp are drained into the Ipswich river, 
which flows through the north part of it. With 
sufficient labor, most of the swamp might doubt- 
less be drained and made valuable and productive 



16 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

land ; but while western lands are so cheap, and la- 
bor continues so dear as it now is, there is no proba- 
bility that any considerable part of it; will be re- 
claimed. 

There are five ponds within the limits of the 
town. The largest of them is Wenham Pond or 
Lake, as it is often called. This beautiful sheet of 
water covers about 320 acres in surface, nearly 
100 of which lie in Beverly. It is surrounded on 
every side by a smooth, gravelly, or sandy margin, 
and by shores in some places steep, but generally 
sloping gracefully down to the water's edge. To 
this and to the fact that no stream flows into it to 
carry down the wash of the neighboring country, 
is doubtless owing the unequalled clearness and pu- 
rity of its waters. So transparent is the ice here 
formed that it is said that a newspaper has been 
read through a thickness of two feet of it. Yan- 
kee ingenuity and enterprize have turned this ap- 
parently useless product of our severe winters into 
a fruitful source of wealth. The inhabitants of 
many a torrid region, who have never heard of the 
name of Massachusetts, and hardly know that there 
is such a place as New England, are familiar 
enough with Wenham Lake ice. An American 
gentleman recently informed me that, while pro- 
ceeding up the Red Sea in one of the East India 
Company's steamers, an Englishman, w^ho had 
travelled much in America, inquired particularly 
of him, where Wenham Lake was situated, remark- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 17 

ing that he had seen most of the lakes in the 
United States, but never saw Wenham Lake. 
From the amount of ice which it produced, he sup- 
posed it to be one of the large lakes of the West- 
ern Continent, and was not a little surprised 
Avhen informed of its real size. 

The shape of this lake is quite irregular, it being 
at one point, almost divided into two nearly equal 
parts, by the inward projection of its shores. Its 
depth is about 50 feet, and its outlet is 34 feet 
higher than the ^flow of the tide up the Ipswich 
river. It was formerly well stocked with fish, but 
has been of late years so much frequented by 
sportsmen that the finny tribes have had little op- 
portunity to increase. There has been considera- 
ble legislation upon this point, and no doubt if the 
laws which have already been passed, were proper- 
ly enforced, the fisheries of Wenham Lake might 
again become profitable. Alewives formerly came 
up the river to this pond, to spawn ; but the dam 
upon Ipswich river with other obstructions, has en- 
tirely prevented their access. This matter has been 
a subject of discussion in many town meetings, 
and committees have been again and again appoint- 
ed to see that the obstructions were removed and 
the fish allowed to return to their favorite haunts. 
For many years an Alewife Committee were chosen 
every season, as regularly as the Selectmen or 
School Committee, but latterly the subject has been 
forgotten or overlooked, and the fisheries of Wen- 
ham have proportionally declined. 



18 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

The banks of this lake, though nowhere wild and 
precipitous, furnish scenes and views of rare and 
varied beauty. Several elegant and tasteful resi- 
dences have been erected upon its borders ; and 
other locations equally, if not even more finely sit- 
uated, yet remain unoccupied. 

On the northern side of this pond, there was for- 
merly a little conical hill called Peter's Pulpit, from 
the circumstance that Hugh Peters preached from 
it more than 200 years ago, the first discourse ever 
delivered within the limits of Wenham. The town 
once oiFered this hill to the first church in Salem, 
on condition that they should erect upon it a mon- 
ument to their former pastor, the eminent but ec- 
centric Peters ; but as the off'er was not accepted 
within the specified time, the town's interest in the 
spot was transferred to the Ice Company, which 
proceeded to remove the hill and put up their ice- 
houses on the place which it formerly occupied. 
Every one, we are sure, must regret that this in- 
teresting relic of antiquity should have been thus 
entirely obliterated. 

Connected with the lake on the west is Cedar 
Pond, containing about 20 acres. It is so perfect- 
ly enveloped by a dense forest, as to be scarcely 
visible till one stands upon the water's edge. Many 
years since some gentlemen from Salem formed the 
project of digging a canal to convey its waters to 
the lake and build upon it a large factory. Accord- 
ingly the trench was dug, and the water drawn 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 19 

off till nearly the Avliole of the bottom of the pond 
was laid bare. Snakes, eels, fish and turtles were 
found in great abundance, but the spring which was 
to furnish a constant supply of water power was 
wanting, and the project of a great manufactory to 
be carried by it, was at an end. 

Muddy Pond, which is about the same size as the 
last, lies entirely within the great swamp. It is 
surrounded by low, marshy ground, and inhabited 
by turtles, eels, water-snakes and other animals 
which delight in low, miry localities. In conse- 
quence of its retired situation and the boggy na- 
ture of the ground around it, is seldom visited ex- 
cept by some stray hunter, or adventurous explor- 
er of the swamp. 

Pleasant Pond is a beautiful sheet of water, cov- 
ering about 30 acres, and so hemmed in by sur- 
rounding hills and forests as to be entirely conceal, 
ed from the visitor, until he comes suddenly upon 
its banks. A little eminence upon its eastern bor- 
der, presents one of the finest prospects in the 
town. On the one side the eye rests upon the 
smooth surface of the peaceful lake, embowered in 
the dense foliage of the surrounding forests of ever- 
green ; and beyond this, upon the thick verdure 
of the swamp, while still farther the view is limit- 
ed by the fertile hills of Topsfield and Middleton ; 
on the south may be seen the church spires of Sa- 
lem ; and nearer, the steeples, mansions and green 
fields of Beverly ; and beneath them, the blue wa- 



20 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

ters of the lake, shining like a line of silvery light ; 
while to the east, lies the village of Wenham, with 
its gardens and cultivated fields, and further north 
the farms and pasture lands of Hamilton, till the 
view is terminated by the hills of Ipswich. 

This beautiful spot, once so dehghtful and charm- 
ing a resort, has lately become connected with as- 
sociations of a melancholy character. As several 
young men were here amusing themselves in skat- 
ing, Dec. 19, 1856, one of them, Mr. Joseph P. 
Cook broke through the ice, and before help could 
reach him was drowned. He was a youth much 
loved and lamented by a large circle of relatives 
and friends, and the memory of his sad fate will 
long cast its shadow of sadness over the spot of 
his untimely death. 

Coy's Pond is a long and narrow sheet of water, 
in the easterly part of the town, containing per- 
haps 30 acres of surface. Its name is supposed to 
be derived from that of a family well known in the 
early history of the place, and Avhich formerly 
lived near its shores. This pond is connected with 
a series of lakes which have their outlet to the sea 
near the village of Essex. 

The principal stream within the town, which has 
been dignified by the name of Miles' river, takes 
its rise from a swamp in the north part of Beverly. 
It flows first into the eastern part of Wenham, then 
taking a turn to the west, it passes through the 
Neck, till it strikes the Beverly line. Here it re- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 21 

ceives a branch from the east, and, afterwards, the 
stream which forms the outlet of Wenham Lake. 
Turning again to the north, it flows through the 
town of Wenham, a httle to the east of the vil- 
lage, and pursuing its course through Hamilton, 
empties at length into the Ij)swich river. It is a 
sluggish stream, fahing but a few feet in its entire 
course of 4 or 5 miles, through the town. Of 
course, it offers no great water privileges, although 
in former times, two places at which there is a fall 
of a few feet, were improved to turn the machinery 
of a saw and grist mill. But though the river affords 
very little w^ater power, it is useful in fertihzing 
the broad meadows which skirt its banks, while its 
quiet pools, the favorite haunts of the finny tribes, 
furnish an abundant source of amusement to the 
disciples of Izaak Walton. 

Nature has not given us as a town any remarka- 
ble advantages of situation. Our streams are too 
small to be of much use for manufacturing purpo- 
ses. Our inland position debars us from the sea. 
We have no stores of mineral wealth to be dug 
from the bowels of the earth, but industry, energy 
and economy are admirable substitutes for these 
gifts of nature, and may more than compen- 
sate for her deficiencies. Without anything espe- 
ciall}^ grand or romantic in the way of scenery, 
Wenham possesses many of the elements of a 
charming country residence. It has a fertile soil 
and a healthful situation ; the vihage and the coun- 



22 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

try around it are alike remarkable for quiet, rural 
beauty. The houses and farms present a general 
appearance of neatness and comfort. In every di- 
rection are good roads and pleasant drives, while 
our gracefully rounded hills and crystal lakes pre- 
sent scenery of a beauty and loveliness rarely equal- 
led. We will only add the testimony of John Dun- 
stan, Esq., an English gentleman who visited the 
town in 1686. "When we came,'' says he, "to 
Wenham, which is an inland town well stored with 
men and cattle, we paid a visit to Mr. Gerrish, the 
present minister of that place. Wenham is a deli- 
cious paradise ; it abounds with all rural pleasures, 
and I would choose it above all other towns in 
America to dwell in. The lofty trees on each side 
of it are a sufficient shelter from the winds, and the 
warm sun so kindly ripens both the fruits and 
flowers, as if the spring, the summer and the au- 
tumn had agreed together to thrust winter out of 
doors." 



CIVIL HISTORY. 



The first permanent settlement in Essex County^ 
was made at Salem, nncler John Enclicott, in 1628. 
In consequence of the religious persecutions in 
England, emigration was quite active for several 
years subsequent. As their purpose in coming was 
to become cultivators of the soil, the colonists, as 
they arrived, scattered themselves over the coun- 
try, usually settling first upon the banks of streams 
and ponds where the situation appeared to be most 
agreeable and the soil most easily cultivated. 
Salem, as first laid out, included within its limits, 
Beverly, Manchester, Marblehead, Danvers, part of 
Lynn, Topsfield and Wenham, the last of which 
was the first to be set oft' as a distinct township. 
The territory embraced within the town appears to 
have belonged to the Agawams, a tribe of Indians 
settled upon the Ipswich river, of whom the land 
was purchased for the nominal sum of .£4 16^. 

The first notice we have of the place is an ac- 
count of the " murder of John Hoddy, near the 
Great Pond." John Williams, the murderer, was 
seized, sentenced to be hung, and executed at Bos- 



24 HISTOP.Y OF WENHAM. 

ton. This murder, the first which occurred among 
the European population of the colony, excited 
general attention. Tradition relates that the act 
was committed near the boundary line, on the main 
road to Beverly. AVilliams appears to have sup- 
posed that his victim had with him a large sum of 
money, but he actually found nothing. It is said 
that the murderer was seized by Hoddy's dog and 
held till people collected and apprehended him. 

The earliest settlements in the place are supposed 
to have been in the vicinity of the lake. Nov. 5, 
1639, the Legislature passed an act, that ^'Whereas 
the inhabitants of Salem have agreed to plant a 
village near the ryver which runneth to Ipswich, it 
ordered that all the land near their bounds, between 
Salem and said river, not belonging to any other 
town or person, by any former grant, shall belong 
to said village.'' 

Wenham Lake is said to have been a favorite 
resort of the Indians for fishing, but by what name 
they called it, or the territory around it, is not now 
known. The first settlers called their village Enon, 
and hence it was probably, that Hugh Peters 
preached the first sermon within the town from 
John iii. 23, ^' In Enon near to Salem, because there 
was much water there." When, however, the town 
was incorporated in 1643, it assumed its present 
name, as appears by the following record : 

" The General Court of Elections, held at Boston, 
ye loth day of ye third month, Anno 1643. It or- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 25 

dered that Eiion shall be called Wenham. Wen- 
ham is granted to be a town and hath liberty to 
send a deputy." 

A true copy, as appears of record examined. 
Isaac Addi^^gton, Secretary, 

As the year then commenced with March, which 
was reckoned the first month, the date of the incor- 
poration of the town would fall upon the lOth of 
May, upon which day its centennial anniversary 
has twice been celebrated. The present name of 
the town is supposed to have been derived from a 
town of Suftblk County, in England, lying near Ip- 
swich, and consisting of two parishes, called Great 
Wenham and Little Wenham, respectively. From 
this place, some of the early settlers are supposed 
to have emigrated. The name has at least one ad- 
vantage that it is not likely to be confounded with 
other towns having the same designation, in other 
States. We believe there is but one W^enham with- 
in the bounds of the Union. 

The earliest of the town records extant, is a 
grant of twenty acres of land to the town, one-half 
of it by Mr. Smith, on one side of the meeting- 
house, and the other half by Mr. John Fisk, on the 
other side of it. This grant, which was made 
March 2, 1642, appears to have been divided into 
two acre lots, which were given to actual settlers 
on condition of building upon them dwellings for 
themselves and their families. But in case that any 
3 



26 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

such slioiild wish to remove from the village, they 
Avere required to offer their places for sale first to 
"the Plantation." The object of this arrangement 
was to encourage actual settlers, and also to form 
a village about the middle of the town. From 
these votes, it appears that a meeting-house, at 
least a temporary one, had already been built. It 
is supposed to have stood on or near the spot occu- 
pied by that built in 1664, viz., upon the eminence 
near the house now belonging to Mr. Henry Tarr. 

In Nov., 1643, it was voted that no inhabitant 
should introduce any one into the town w^ithout 
the consent of the Selectmen, under the penalty of 
a fine of five shillings for every week that such 
person should remain within the limits of the town. 
This rule appears to have continued in force for a 
long period, as we find from time to time that seve- 
ral persons, who had not been properly approved, 
" were warned to remove to the place from whence 
they came." 

These votes throw some light upon the internal 
constitution of the ne^v plantation. When a new 
settlement was formed, a grant Avas usually made 
by the General Court, of the lands within the limits 
of the town, to certain individuals, and these persons 
then proceeded to divide a part of the land among 
themselves, as they could agree, and the remainder, 
which continued undivided, was owned in common. 
Among the early proceedings of the town, are fre- 
quent grants of lands to individuals setthng upon 



HISTORY OF AVEiNHAM. 27 

tliem. But as the corporation became responsible 
for all persons who gained a settlement within its 
limits, they were exceedingly cautious whom they 
admitted to live among them. Thus, when any 
property was sold, the town was to have the first 
offer of it. The original corporators alone, appear 
to have had the right to vote or to hold office. As 
others removed into the place, the right of citizen- 
ship and a share in the common lands was granted 
by a vote of the town to such as they saw fit. 

For many years every person who wished to 
become a freeman was required to be a member in 
good standing, of some Congregational church. 
None but freemen vrere allowed to hold office or 
vote on public afiairs. This regulation .continued 
in force until 1664, when it was so far modified by 
a royal order, as to allow all persons to become 
freemen, who could obtain from some clergyman 
acquainted with them, certificates of being sound 
in doctrine and correct in conduct. The freeman's 
oath might be taken before the General Court, or 
the quarterly courts of the counties. The form, as 
described May 14, 1634, was as follows : 

" I, A. B., being by God's providence, an inhab- 
itant and freeman within the jurisdiction of this 
Commonwealth, do freely acknowledge myself to 
be subject to the government thereof, and there- 
fore do swear by the great and dreadful name of 
the everlasting God, that 1 will be true and faithful 
to the same, and will accordingly yield assistance 



28 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

and support thereunto, with my person and estate, 
as m equity I am bound ; and I will also endeavor 
to maintain and preserve all the liberties and privi- 
leges thereof, submitting myself to the wholesome 
laws and orders made and established by the same. 
And farther, that I will not plot nor practise any 
evil against it, nor consent to any that shall so do, 
but will truly discover and reveal the same to law- 
ful authority now here established, for the speedy 
preventing thereof Moreover, I do solemnly bind 
myself in the sight of God, that when I shall be 
called to give my voice touching any such matter, 
of this State wherein freemen are to deal, I will 
give my vote and suffrage, as I shall judge in my 
own conscience may best conduce to the public 
weal of the body, without respect of persons or 
favor of any man ; so help me God in the Lord Je- 
sus Christ." 

Those who were not church members, were re- 
quired to take the resident's oath, which resembled 
the preceding, except that it omitted the last 
clause. • 

Some of the earliest settlers of the town were 
Phineas Fisk, William Fisk, John Fisk, Richard 
Dodge, Charles Gott, Austin Kilham, Eichard 
Goldsmith, Thomas White, John Abby, Robert 
Harris, Joseph Batchelder, Esdras Reade, James 
Moulton, John Fairfield^ Richard Huston, Robert 
Cowen, Richard Kimball, Edward Waldron, and 
Christopher Young. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 29 

Phineas Fisk was the first constable, and he, 
with Charles Gott and John Fisk constituted the 
first board of selectmen ; Wm. Fisk was town clerk? 
Esdras Reade grand-jury-man, and Joseph Batchel- 
der, who served in if 44, was the first representative -LI 
to the Legislature. ' 

Distinctions among the different grades of socio" 
ty were for a long time carefully observed. The 
title of Mr. was given to professional men, mer- 
chants, captains of vessels, or in the militia, and to 
those who had been made freemen, while their 
wives and daughters were called Mrs. To be de- 
prived of this title was a degradation sometimes in- 
flicted by the Courts. Thus, in 1631, Josias Plais- 
tow was sentenced for a misdemeanor, ^' hereafter 
to be called by the name of Josias, and not Mr. as 
formerly used to be." Persons not entitled to the 
distinction of Mr. were called good-man and good- 
wife. 

For many years, all the freemen of the colony 
used to meet at Boston, for the election of the Gov- 
ernor and other magistrates. The inconveniences 
of this practice were seriously felt, but it was con- 
tinued until 1663, when the laAv requiring it was 
repealed. The repeal, however, was so unpopular, 
that the practice was renewed the next year ; it 
seems to have gradually ceased, on account of the 
increasing size of the Province and the dangers ap- 
prehended from the ludians. 

In 1643, Wm. Fisk. received liberty from the 
3^ 



30 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

General Court to keep an ordinary, (public house), 
and in 1646, was licensed '^ to sell wine and strong 
water ;" which privileges were, a few years later? 
transferred to Phineas Fisk. As early as 1644, a 
highway was laid out by the State, through Wen- 
ham, from Salem to Ipswich. In the same year it 
was voted, " that those who have any lott in ye 
Neck, have libertie from the town to inclose in a 
common field, with a straight fence from ye right 
hand of ye bridge unto ye river, by Richard 
Dodge's, -^ -^ -^ provided a common highway 
be left out." Thus early had that part of the town 
been settled and acquired the name which it still 
retains. 

Surrounded as the colonists were by a howling 
wilderness, one of their cares was to secure them- 
selves against beasts of prey. Accordingly, in 

1644, a bounty of twenty shillings was oftered to 
every man who should kill a wolf. Nor less pre- 
cautions were they obliged to use against the sav- 
ages. For selling a gun to an Indian, Robert Gow- 
en was, in 1650, fined £10, half of which, however, 
was remitted, upon his humble petition to the Gen- 
eral Court. 

The comparative wealth of the infint town may 
be estimated from the amount of its tax, which, in 

1645, was £3 10s, the entire tax of the colony 
being, for that year, X616 lis. 6d. Much of the 
early business of the town had reference to the 
" common lands." No person was allowed to cut 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 31 

a tree from tliem ^vithout the consent of the town. 



and we find special permits given to individuals, to 
cut w^ood and timber for themselves. Cattle were 
forbidden to trespass on any " common lands '' 
where corn was growing; but swine earlyreceived 
the freedom of the town, though accompanied by 
some restrictions, as appears by the following order 
of the selectmen, in 1655, viz.: — ^'All swine shall be 
yoked, that is to say, all swine above a quarter of 
a year old to be yoked with yokes standing five 
inches above their necks ; and if they be a year old, 
to be nine inches long on each side ; and all swine 
under a quarter of a year old, shall either be 
yoked, or else the owner to pay the damage they 
do." The penalty for breaking this rule Avas a fine 
of seven shillings to the town. Stringent rules 
were also passed respecting fences, which were to 
be built of a certain height and kept in repair, under 
heavy penalties. 

These details may appear tedious and trivial, yet 
they are important, as showing the spirit of the 
early settlers. Any one who has ever lived in a 
settlement of the Irish or Germans, such as are 
often found in the Middle and Western States, will 
at once appreciate the importance of these regula- 
tions. We may see in them the germ of all that 
distinguishes a neat and tasteful New England vil- 
lage from the assemblage of wretched hovels so 
often found in the Middle and Southern States. 

In 1656, Rev. Mr. Fisk the pastor of the little 



32 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

village, with a majority of the church, and probably 
of the people, removed, to form a new settlement 
at Chelmsford."^^ By this emigration, the town was 
of course much Aveakened, and we find them after- 
wards sending a representative to the General 
Court only once in two or three years, whereas 
they had previously sent one annually. Several 
names, which had been prominent among the first 
settlers, now disappear from the history of the 
town. Those who were left, liowever, acted with 
becoming spirit and energy. They proceeded at 
once to procure a new pastor, Rev. Antipas New- 
man, and even offered him X5 more than they had 
given to Mr. Fisk. 

In order to show who were the actual inhabi- 
tants at this period, and also to show their compar- 
ative means, we subjoin a copy of the rate imposed 
in 1659, for Mr. Newman's salary. " An engage- 
ment to the Rev. Mr. Newman for his support, for 
the year 1659. 

* As it may be interesting to some of oiu' people to know some- 
tiling of the colony which went out from Wenham, I insert the fol- 
lowing extract from the History of Chelmsford, by Rev. Wilkes 
Allen: — "They (the people of Chelmsford) had, before this, ob- 
tained a valuable accession to their numbers and wealth, in the Rev. 
John Fisk and a part of his church, who were induced to remove 
from Wenham to this new settlement. In this company of holy pil- 
grims, for they were all holy by profession, the town received an 
ascension gift and a church already formed and consecrated." The 
fii'st planters, it is said, were greatly assisted by the wealth which the 
Wenham company brought with them. Among these pious emi- 
grants, was Dea. Cornelius Waldo, a man of distinguished useful- 
ness. Thomas, afterwards Major Henchman, another of the Wen- 
ham company, was for many years, a leading character, and became 
a large landholder. Dea. Andrew Spalding also, is said by tradi- 
tion, to have belonged to the Wenham company. Esdras Reade, who 
had represented Wenham, in the Legislature, in 1648 and 1651, was 
the first magistrate chosen after the incoi'poration of Chelmsford. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 33 

£ s 

Phineas Fisk, 2 10 

Mr. Gott, 3 00 in corn 

^^,Atfstin Kilham, 2 00 in corn 

Henry Kimball, 1 00 half m corn 

Richard Kimball, 3 15 

Kichard Hutton, 2 00 

Robert Gowen, 1 00 

James Moulton, Sr., 3 00 

Jolm Dodjie, 2 15 one third in corn 

John Fisk, 3 00 

Daniel Kilham, 1 10 

John Gooland, 2 00 

John Fowling, 1 15 in corn 

John Abby , 1 15 in corn 

Mark Batclielder, 1 15 

Richard Goldsmith, 1 15 

James Moulton, Jr., 1 00 

Alexander Moxey, 1 12 

William Gore, 1 15 

Edward Waldron, 1 00 

Henry Haggett, 1 15 

John Kilham, 1 15 

John Batchelder, 1 00 

Abner Ordway, 1 00 

Thomas White, 1 00 

Richard Coy, 2 10 

Thomas Fisk, 2 15 

Total, £46 12s 

In 1063, a new meeting-house was built, the ex- 
pense of which was defrayed partly by subscription, 
and partly by a tax of £80 Ss. Sd. The seating of 
this house was ordinarily left to the selectmen, but 
it was also a frequent subject of debate in the town 
meetings. In 1665, Mr. Newman's salary was 
raised to £50, and two pounds of butter for every 
milch cow in town, '^ this sum to be paid promptly; 
if left till the 1st of February, the constable to de- 
mand it, and, if need be, to distrain for it." 

Josselyn, in his account of his second voyage to 
New England, in 1663, says, '' Wenham is an inland 
town, very well watered, b^ng between Salem and 



34 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

Ipswich; consistetb most of men of judgment in re 
rustica [agriculture] and well stored with cattle." 

For several years subsequently we find no event 
of particular interest recorded. The care of the 
fences^ the commons, and the highways, the annual 
elections of town officers, and occasional disputes 
with the neighboring towns respecting boundaries, 
constitute the staple of the early records. These 
we might give at great length, but it would be 
merely tedious, and would, after all, give but a very 
imperfect idea of the real history of the place. 
From facts like these, we may learn that they were 
careful farmers and conscientious citizens. The 
degree of attention paid to the subjects above men- 
tioned, furnish no imperfect test of the progress of 
general thrift and improvement. But much that 
we would like to know, is entirely unrecorded. The 
alarms and dangers of Indian warfare ; the agita- 
tions of religious controversy and excitement ; the 
drafts of men which were often made upon the New 
England towns, for the Indian and French wars ; 
these and many other matters of interest are unno- 
ticed in the records, and must be learned, if learned 
at all, from other sources. Much that would be 
most valuable and interesting in the history of the 
toAvn, must forever remain unwritten. The inhab- 
itants having become careless about attending the 
meetings of the town for business, a vote was 
passed, Feb. 6, 1672, " that whosoever shall not 
come and attend the town meeting, being warned 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 35 

thereto, viz., at the general town meeting on the first 
Monday in January, by nine o'clock, and at the 
other meetings that shall from time to time be ap- 
pointed, shall forfeit 2s Qd for the general meeting, 
and l.s 5c?, and such defects to be entered upon 
record and gathered by the constable.'' 

This may remind one of the old Greek Republics, 
which used to impose a fine upon every citizen who 
did not attend and vote at public meetings, since 
they held that the State was entitled to the coun- 
sels and votes of its children, as well as their active 
services in time of war. 

" Sab., May 18, 1673, Richard Goldsmith was 
killed by lightning at the house of Rev. Mr. New- 
man, (lately deceased) while Rev. Mr. Higginson 
of Salem, was present. Mr. H. had but just re- 
turned from meeting, where he had supplied the 
pulpit. While he was sitting, engaged in conver- 
sation, the lightning passed through the room, 
killing Mr. Goldsmith and a dog lying under his 
chair." 

In 1675, King Phillip's War broke out, and con- 
tinued for two years. It was the principal struggle 
made by the Indians, for their homes and hunting- 
grounds. They fought with the energy of despair, 
and inflicted many a severe loss upon the '^ pale- 
faced intruders." About six hundred of the whites 
were killed, and many more were severely wound- 
ed. Thirteen towns and six hundred houses were 
destroyed ; and the expenses of the war have been 



36 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

estimated at half a million dollars ; an enormous 
sum, considering the scarcity of money and the 
small number of those upon whom the burden fell. 
But heavy as were the losses of the feeble colo- 
nists, those of the enemy were still greater. They 
were routed from all their old fastnesses, and their 
power effectually broken. Their subsequent 
struggles were less for victory than for revenge. 

We know not as our little town was ever the 
scene of any struggle with the Indians. Surround- 
ed as it was by other and more exposed settle- 
ments, upon whioh the fury of the enemy mainly 
fell, its inhabitants probably escaped any direct 
attack. But while they had to do with an enemy 
so wily, so active, and so insidious, no settlement 
however protected, could feel itself secure. The 
swamps and forests which still remained, might 
shelter the restless and lurking foe, and the inhab- 
itants might be shot down from hedges and 
thickets while about their work, as they came from 
their houses or travelled along the way. No place 
was safe and at no time were they free from 
danger. The law of 1676, that each town should 
" scout and ward " and clear up the brush along 
the ways ^' to prevent the skulking of the enemy," 
was doubtless obeyed. Farmers carried their 
arms and ammunition as well as implements of 
husbandry to their fields, and sentinels paced their 
rounds about the church while the people were 
met for public worship. A fortification was raised 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 37 

in every town to provide against an attack, and 
even private dwellings were so constructed that 
they might be used for defence. 

Early in the war, the governments of the different 
colonies, feeling the necessity of decisive measures, 
determined to unite their forces and to make a 
bold attack upon the stronghold of the enemy. In 
the depth of winter, a force of five hundred and 
fifty men was collected in Massachusetts, and, 
being joined by reinforcements from the Plymouth 
and Connecticut colonies, they made a forced march 
through the snows and over the frozen ground, till 
they reached, Dec. 19, 1675, a swamp in the coun- 
try of the Narragansetts, where the Indians had 
built a fort and gathered their bravest warriors. 
Notwithstanding that they had camped out the pre- 
vious night, " with no other covering than a cold 
and moist fleece of snow," and had marched nine- 
teen miles that da}^, wading through the drifts, the 
troops rushed at once to the attack. The Indians 
retreated to the middle of the swamp, where they 
had fortified an island, covering five or six acres, 
with palisades and a hedge nearly a rod thick. 
'^ There were two entrances, one over a long tree 
upon a place of water, the other at a corner," 
and commanded by a log-house in front, and on the 
left by ^' a flanker." At this point an attack was 
made by the Massachusetts troops, led on by Capt. 
Johnson, who unfortunately fell at the first fire, and 
so many of the soldiers were killed or wounded 
4 



38 HISTOEY OP WENHAM." 

that they were obliged to retreat. Again howev- 
er, they were rallied by their valiant leaders ; again 
they rushed to the charge, carrying block house 
and flanker, and fairly establishing themselves upon 
the island. The Indians then retreated to the mid- 
dle of the fort, and the whole mass was quickly 
engaged in desperate and deadly strife. The 
struggle was long and bloody, for the savages out- 
numbered their assailants more than three to one, 
but '^ manifest destiny" was against them. They 
were routed, their wigAvams were burned, and their 
corn and other stores destroyed by the flames. 
Three hundred warriors are supposed to have been 
slain, while as many more were taken prisoners. 
But this success was not purchased without severe 
loss. More than a hundred of the Massachusetts 
troops were killed or wounded. Five of the inhab- 
itants of Wenham were drafted for this expedition, 
viz., Mark Batchelder, Eichard Button, Thomas 
Kimball, Samuel Moulton, and Phiflip Welsh, the 
first of whom was killed in that fearful assault upon 
the fort of the Narragansetts. He was one of the 
oldest and most respectable citizens of Wenham. 

The power of the Indians was broken in this 
battle, but the war still continued in a desultory 
manner for two years. In these contests the 
people of Wenham bore their part in contributions 
of men as well as of money. The manner in which 
the State used to pay the services of its old and 
faithful soldiers, may be seen from the following 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 39 

order of the General Court, March 18, 1684. " In 
answer to the petition of John Fisk, of Wenham, 
a sore wounded soldier in the late Indian war, and 
thereby incapacitated to get his living, humbly de- 
siring the favor of this honored General Court, 
(having the approbation of the selectmen of said 
Wenham) to grant him a license to keep a public 
house of entertainment, therewith freedom from 
county rates, and also to sell drink, free from im- 
posts and excises." Consent was given. 

These trials and struggles bore heavily upon the 
interests and prosperity of the town. In 1675, the 
State tax of Wenham was X5, the entire sum levied 
upon the colony, being <£1,553 5s. 4J. It will be 
noticed that the proportion assessed upon the 
town was considerably less than it was twenty 
years earlier. The same year all the towns were 
required by the Legislature to raise a subscription 
for the benefit of Harvard College, to enable that 
institution to erect a new hall. Some of the towns 
were backward in contributing their part, and 
stringent orders were passed to enforce payment. 
^'In answer to the petition of Thomas Fisk and Chas. 
Gott, in behalf of Wenham," the Court, however, 
granted that the town of Wenham be discharged 
from that subscription as to the college, for the 
reasons therein expressed. What these reasons 
were, we are not informed, but they doubtless had 
reference to the feeble and drooping condition of 
the place. 



40 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

About this time an event occurred which caused 
great annoyance to the inhabitants of Essex Coun- 
ty. This was the claim advanced by the heirs of 
John Mason, to all the lands lying between Salem 
and the Merrimack river^ according to a Patent 
granted several years before the Massachusetts 
charter, to Sir Ferdinand Gorges and Capt. Mason. 
Several attempts were made by these persons, to 
establish colonies upon the territories which they 
had received, but without success. The same 
lands were subsequently included in the grants 
made to the Massachusetts colony, by whom they 
were occupied, and had, for more than fifty years, 
been held undisturbed. But as the lands had now 
become quite valuable, the old and long dormant 
claim was again revived. As this claim involved 
every man's title to his own farm and dwelling, it 
is not strange that great excitement was created by 
it. A convention was held in Ipswich, to consid- 
er the subject. A petition to the king was drawn 
up, setting forth that the inhabitants had purchas- 
ed their lands from the Massachusetts Company, 
and also of the Indians, and that they had been for 
more than fift}'' years, in uninterrupted and undis- 
puted possession ; and praying his majesty's favor 
that the claim might be fairly tried in a legal way. 
This petition was signed by Thomas Fisk, Walter 
Fairfield and Thomas Patch, in behalf of the people 
of Wenham, and it was accompanied by another to 
the same effect, signed by Simon Bradstreei then 
Governor, in behalf of the colony. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. ' 41 

The claim continued to be agitated till 1091, 
when the heirs of Mason sold their interest to 
Samuel Allen, a London merchant. This man 
commenced a suit for ejection, against one of the 
largest landholders of New Hampshire, which was 
also included in his patent. Failing in this, he pe- 
titioned to be put in possession of all waste and 
unoccupied lands within the limits claimed, which 
was granted ; but all proceedings were broken off 
by his sudden death. His son prosecuted the 
claim, but without success. After his death one of 
the heirs of Mason obtained a recovery of entail, 
on the ground that the previous sale, from some 
informality, was invalid. By him, the claim was 
sold to several gentlemen w^ho, to put an end to 
further litigation, voluntarily relinquished all right 
and title within the towns, which had been already 
settled. Thus a controversy which had continued 
for more than one hundred years, was at length 
settled, and the inhabitants between Salem and the 
Merrimack river confirmed in all their possessions. 

In all new countries the settlement of the boun- 
daries between neighboring communities has been 
a frequent source of difficulty and contention. 
The town was at first laid out without much regard 
to regularity of form, and no permanent or sub- 
stantial bounds were erected. The selectmen in 
their '^ perambulations," were content to mark the 
important points by heaps of stones, nails driven 
into trees, or sometimes merely by describing a 
4* 



42 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

stump, or an old pine or oak tree. No small por- 
tion of the early records is made up of accounts of 
these '^ perambulations." About this time there 
was a warm dispute respecting the boundary lines 
between Wenham on the one side, and Salem and 
Beverly on the other. Town meetings were held, 
committees were appointed, prosecutions were 
begun in the courts, and finally the matter was 
carried before the Legislature. A comnfittee was 
appointed to examine the matter, who made a re- 
port favorable to the claims of Wenham. The 
Legislature confirmed their decision, and gave sen- 
tence that Beverly and Salem should each pay £5 
and costs. After this, the selectmen on each side 
" did meet and perambulate the bounds." The 
result of their labors is given at great length and 
in a chirography more than usually distinct. 

Disputes also arose respecting the bounds on the 
side of Manchester and Ipswich, but these were 
settled with less difficulty. The Topsfield line led 
the perambulators through bogs and swamps, 
where they used to get sadly bemired. It was dif- 
ficult, on account of the nature of the ground, to 
erect any permanent landmarks. To obviate this 
difficulty, the line was several times shifted, but 
always by amicable arrangement. In all these 
contests, Wenham exhibited no lack of spirit, and 
if the question at stake had been between rival 
kingdoms instead of neighboring and friendly 
towns, it could hardly have been more zealously 
or more obstinately contested. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 43 

The Revolution of 1688, which had so important 
an influence upon the history of England, extend- 
ed its effects to this remote hamlet. The Charter 
of the Massachusetts colony, which the people had 
always regarded as the palladium of their liberties, 
was set aside in 1684, by a process of quo ivarraii' 
to, in the royal courts in England. The people 
were thus left at the mercy of the king. They 
could hope for nothing from the Stuarts, a race of 
sovereigns who had always hated the principles 
and practices of the Puritans. The General Court 
for 1686 was abruptly dissolved, and its place sup- 
plied by a Governor and Council appointed by the 
king. 

To this body, powers of the most arbitrary and 
despotic character were granted. They were 
authorized to enact laws, subject only to approval 
by the king ; to levy taxes, to control the forts and 
militia, to regulate the currency, to erect courts 
and appoint judges, and, in case of resistance, to 
execute martial law. Soon after this. Sir Edmund 
Andres was sent over as '^ Captain-General and 
Governor-in-chief" of all New England, and with 
him a sufficient bod}^ of troops, as it was supposed, 
to subdue and keep down the refractory colonies. 
One of his first acts was to impose a tax of ^^ twen- 
ty pence on each poll, and one penny on the 
pound upon all the late Colonies and Provinces." 
This tax having never been granted by the repre- 
sentatives of the people, was manifestly illegal, 



44 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

but all who refused to pay it were seized and im- 
prisoned, refused the benefit of a habeas corpus, 
and finally condemned by a packed jury, ^^ most of 
them non-freeholders, and some of them strangers 
and foreigners." The press was restrained, and a 
design formed of establishing the Episcopal Church, 
and compelling all other sects to contribute to its 
support. The old land titles were declared to be 
void, and it was threatened that writs of intrusion 
should be issued, '^ as many as a cart could hold." 
•' Our condition,-' said Danforth, ^' is little inferior 
to downright slavery." To assemble peaceably in 
town meeting for purposes of deliberation, was 
declared to be an act of sedition and riot. 

The prospect at this time was gloomy in the 
extreme. But it was not in the nature of the Pu- 
ritans to despair. In the hour of peril they put 
their trust in God, and patiently waited for the 
favorable moment to strike lor deliverance. For- 
tunately for them, the tyranny of James was not 
confined to America. His oppressive and arbitra- 
ry measures at length provoked a revolution which 
drove him from his throne, and ended in the pro- 
clamation of William and Mary, to be king and 
queen of England. 

The news of the revolution at home soon reach- 
ed New England, and immediately the people arose 
in their might, deposed Andros, disarmed his fol- 
lowers, and entrusted the management of affairs to 
a Committee of Safety, of whom the^ venerable 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 45 

Bradstreet, now in his 83th year, was chosen pres- 
ident. The influence of these events was felt even 
to the remotest hamlets. As the tyranny of An- 
dres and his subordinates had been everywhere 
felt, the rejoicing at his downfall was equally uni- 
versal. The following record will show the feel- 
ings of the people of Wenham in view of the then 
state of public affairs, and also the interest they 
felt in all that affected the well-being of the colo- 
nies. 

" May 6, 1689. At a town meeting. We the 
freeholders and inhabitants of the town of Wen- 
ham^ being deeply sensible of and thankful to God 
for his great mercy in delivering us from the tyran- 
ny and oppression of those vile men under whose 
injustice and cruelty we have so long groaned, 
withal render our hearty thanks to those worthy 
gentlemen who have been engaged in so good a 
work as the conserving our peace, since the revo- 
lution ] yet being also apprehensive of the many 
inconveniences and hazards of the establishment of 
our affairs : Eesolved, that we expect that our 
Honorable Governor and deputy Governor, and 
assistants, elected by the freemen of this colony, in 
May, 1686, together with the deputies then sent 
down by the respective towns, to the court then 
held, and which was never legally dissolved, shall 
come together and exercise their power as a Gen- 
eral Court, according to our charter, on the 9th of 
this May, inst., and in so doing, we promise and 



46 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

engage to aid aud assist them to the utmost of our 
power, with our persons and estates, praying God 
to grant them the management of our arduous 
affairs, and we hope that all those who are true 
friends to the peace and prosperity of this land, 
will readily and heartily join with us herein. Vot- 
ed, with one consent, in the affirmative.'^ 

They then chose Ensign Fairfield and Thomas 
Patch to inform the Committee of Safety, of •' this 
their mind and determination." A convention of 
towns was held a few weeks later, to which Walter 
Fairfield and Thomas Fisk were sent as delegates 
from Wenham, and which voted by a large majori- 
ty, for the resumption of the beloved Charter. But 
this the magistrates were afraid to do without the 
consent of the English Commons, and that consent 
was never obtained. A new Charter was formed, 
in many respects less favorable than the former 
one, but with which the colonists were compelled 
to put up. 

The accession of William and Mary to the crown 
of England, involved a war with France, of which 
even these distant colonies felt the terrible effects, 
The Indians were furnished with arms and ammu- 
nition by the French in Canada, and excited to at- 
tack the English. The old scenes of savage war- 
fare were now renewed. To protect themselves 
and their families against their barbarous foes, it was 
voted, Oct. 30, 1691, ^' that forasmuch as we appre- 
hend it our duty to do what we may for our safe- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 47 

ty in this time of danger, that there shall be a for- 
tification built for a shelter for our ^omen and 
children." 

The matter was left to a committee of seven, to 
determine where and of what nature the defences 
should be. Several years earlier a company of 
militia had been formed in town, and in 1G83, the 
General Court passed an order that, " Thomas Fisk 
be captain, Charles Gott be lieutenant, and William 
Fisk be ensign of the first company in Wenham. 
Great, in those days, were the honors of the officers 
in " the trainband." Their names were never men- 
tioned without prefixing the military title ; they 
held the highest seats at church, and on all occa- 
sions took precedence of the untitled multitude. 
With all their sturdy republicanism, our forefathers 
were careful to render to every one his due share 
of honor, and not less careful that no one should 
assume a rank which did not belong to him. Even 
the title of Mr. which is now given to every one, 
however low his position in the social circle, was 
at first accorded to only two or three inhabitants 
of the town. But the distinctions of Mr. and Cap- 
tain and Lieutenant have now but little respect. 
The aristocratical element in the people was not 
strong enough to stand the shock of the Revolu- 
tion. But if public functionaries received much 
honor in those days, their pay was proportionally 
less. In 1692, Walter Fairfield was elected repre- 
sentative, and as towns then paid their own dele- 



48 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

gates, he was allowed two sliillings a day, while 
attending the General Court, out of which he was 
to pay his own expenses. In 1695, Capt. Thomas 
Fisk was paid " for going representative, for ser- 
vice as an assessor, and a day going to Ipswich, 
£2 9s.'' 

The first settlers appear to have obtained their 
land by purchase, from the Indians, and one family 
at least, still hold their farm (now occupied by Mr. 
Daniel Perkins,) by a deed from its aboriginal pos- 
sessor, and signed by him with an arrow, as his 
mark. Yet after the town had been settled more 
than sixty years, a claim to the soil was made by 
certain Indians, as will appear from the following 
record. '' Dec. 10, 1700. Voted, that whereas, 
Samuel English, Joseph English and John Umpee, 
Indians, and, as they say, heirs to Moschanomett, 
late sagamore of Agawam, lay claim and challenge 
to the soil of our township, it is agreed that there 
shall be a committee chosen to treat with them, 
and examine into the claim and challenge which 
they, the said Indians, make of our land." This 
committee seem to have considered that the easiest 
way to settle the matter, was to pay the Indians 
for their title, especially as their demands were 
not very extravagant. Accordingly £4 16s. were 
raised by tax, and appropriated for the purpose. 
After this, we presume that not even the most 
scrupulous or the most sensitive purchaser could 
have a doubt as to the title by which the people of 
Wenham lay claim to the soil. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 49 

It has already been mentioned that there were 
large tracts of land within the town, which w^ere 
not divided among particular owners, but held in 
common. One tract of six hundred acres lay in 
the easterly part of the town, extending from 
Grape-Yine bridge, as it is called, near the house 
of the late William Langmaid, to the Manchester 
line, xinother tract included that part of the great 
swamp which lies in Wenham. Another portion 
lay west of Lord's Hill ; and there were other 
smaller portions in different parts of the tow^n. 
The ownership of these lands belonged to '' the 
commoners," who were probably the descendants 
of the first settlers of the town, or had derived 
their rights by purchase from them. In some 
cases, too, where families had removed into the 
place, the town had voted to grant them a share in 
the common lands ; for the town seemed to exer- 
cise a concurrent jurisdiction over them. Occa- 
sionally lots were granted from these lands to per- 
sons for their services, or sold to pay the debts of 
the town. 

The management of these common lands was a 
continual subject of difficulty and contention. Or- 
ders innumerable were passed to prevent trespass, 
and to regulate the feeding of cattle and cutting 
of wood upon it. The inhabitants of the town 
were generally allowed to cut wood and timber for 
their own use, but not for sale, except by special 
permission. In spite, however, of every precau- 
5 



50 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

tion, complaints of trespass were continually made. 
Committees were appointed, stringent regulations 
were passed, and even the prosecutions which 
were repeatedly commenced against the offenders, 
proved ineffectual. The wood and timber continu- 
ed to disappear. 

Motions were early made in the town meetings, 
to divide the common lands equally among the 
proprietors, but various obstacles stood in the way 
of such a division. It was even questioned 
whether it could legally be done, without the 
unanimous consent of all concerned. Votes to di- 
vide them were repeatedly passed, one as early as 
1669, but they were afterwards re-considered, or 
allowed to go by default. It was so evident, how- 
ever, to every one that the lands in this state were 
very imperfectly cultivated, and that their real 
value could never thus be half realized, that all 
parties at length came to the conclusion that it was 
best to distribute all the lands equally among the 
proprietors. A committee was accordingly ap- 
pointed to determine who were entitled to lots, as 
commoners. Of these there appeared to be sixty- 
three persons owning seventy-one shares. A meet- 
ing was then held, March 6,' 1704-5, at which it was 
voted, with but one dissenting voice, " that all the 
commoners should have an equal share both for 
quantity and quality in whatever division should be 
agreed to." It was then ordered that convenient 
highways should be laid out for access to each lot. 



HISTORY OF AVENHAM. 



51 



and that the commoners should join in companies 
of eight, to each of which should be allowed an 
equal share in the division of the lands, and each 
company should appoint one of their number to 
assist in making the division. It Av^as moreover 
agreed that wherever any company of eight should 
wish to divide their share among "themselves indi- 
vidually, they should have power to do so. 

As considerable interest was felt in this division 
of the commons, and several persons still hold the 
lots then drawn by their ancestors, the following 
list of the commoners, as then assorted in compa- 
nies of eight, is here given. 



Who drew the first lot in the 
swamp. 

^Walter Fairfield, 
Eichaixl Hutton, 
Thomas Fisk, Sen., 
John Barr, 
Josiah Dodo-e, 
David Batchelder, 
ivobei't Symonds, 
Robert Symonds, Jr. 
Who drew the second lot in the 
swamp. 
Benjamin Edwards, 
Thomas Edwards, 
Richai'd Knowlton, 
Mordecai Laream, 
John Gott, 
Joseph Herrick, 
John Herrick, 
John Berry. 

Who drew the third lot in the 
swamp. 

William Fisk, 
James Friend, 
Joseph Fowler, 
Samuel Kimball, Sr., 
John Coy, 
Thomas Kimball, 
John Stewart, 
John Edwarls. 



Wlio drew the fourth lot in the 
swamp. 
Samuel Fisk, Jr., 
Ruth Dodge, for her hus- 
band's estate. 
Mary Dodge, 
Henry Haggett, 
Wm. Knowlton, 
Jonathan ]\Ioulton, 
Benjamin Fisk, 
Samuel Fisk, Sr. 

Who drew the fifth lot in the 
sioamp. 
Thomas Fisk, two shares. 
-Walter Fairfield, two shares. 
Nath'l Waldi'on, two shares. 
William Dodge, one share. 
Zaccheus Goldsmith, one 
share. 

Who drew the sixth lot in the 
swainp. 

Richard Dodge, 
Thomas Patch, Sen., 
John Perkins, 
Tobias Trow, 
Charles Gott, Jr., 
Daniel Kilham, 
Stephen Patch , 
William Rogers. 



52 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 



JVko drew the seventh lot in the 
swamp. 

Mr. Hull, 
John Batclielder, • 
John Dennis, 
Samuel Kimball, Jr., 
Ebenezer Batchelder, 
William Eisk, Jr. , 
John Leech, 
Joseph Hocker. 



Who drew the eighth lot in the 
swamp. 

Joseph Batchelder, 
Caleb Kimball, 
John Kilham, 
David Maxey, 
Ephraim Kimball, 
Theophilus Rix, 
Joshua Wallis, 
Timothy Patch 



Who drew the ninth lot in the swamp. 



Mr. Gerrish, one share. 
Lieut. John Porter, three 
shares. 



Tliomas White, one share. 
Theoi^hilus Fisk, one share. 
Widow Cue, one share. 



A committee chosen by these companies, pro- 
ceeded to divide the swamp and the common in the 
eastern part of the town into lots, w4iich were 
drawn for by the different companies, on the 28th 
of November, 1705. The third and ninth divisions 
refusing to appoint any one to draw for them, the 
commoners made the appointment for them. The 
bounds of each lot are described at great length in 
the records, but it is unnecessary to repeat them 
here. 

As the power of the commoners to divide the 
public lands, was questioned by some, a vote was 
passed at a town meeting, March 5, 1705-6, con- 
firming their proceedings, and granting to each 
company of eight, the parcels of land of which they 
were already possessed. The common lands having 
been thus divided among the different companies, 
these afterwards subdivided them among them- 
selves. Some smaller lots which were not included 
in this division, were sold to pay the current ex- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 53 

penses of the town. Various exchanges and sales 
of the lots thus distributed, are recorded about 
this time, from which it appears that they varied 
in value, from forty to fifty shillings. 

This division of the common lands, was undoubt- 
edly a wise measure. It ensured the better and 
more profitable cultivation of the lands themselves, 
and it also removed a constant source of wrangling 
and contention. A considerable portion of the 
records had previously been taken up with ac- 
counts of difficulties of this kind. Town meetino-s 
now became more peaceable, and the citizens, each 
attending to his own affairs, continued to increase 
and prosper. 

The following half century was quite uneventful 
in the history of the town. The farmers cultivated 
their fields and gathered in their harvests in peace. 
At regular intervals the freemen assembled togeth- 
er and transacted the ordinary municipal business, 
of the town. That peculiar and distinctive feature 
of New England, the board of selectmen, has of 
course always existed. It is curious to observe 
how closely the town ofiices were, for a long peri- 
od, confined to a few leading famiUes. The Fisks, 
the Fairfields, the Gotts, the Porteis, the Kimballs, 
the Tarboxes, the Dodges, and the Friends, seem to 
have possessed almost a monopoly of the important 
places. Tything-men were regularly elected to 
terrify refractory boys, and to keep a guard over 
the manners and morals of the peoj^le. Hog-reeve 
5^ 



54 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

was no nominal office in those days, when swine 
were allowed, as they were till after the Revolution, 
to go at large, " being duly ringed and yoked." 
Deer-reeves Avere annually chosen to protect the 
deer Avhich were found quite abundant in the 
woods. Wolves howled in the forests, and occa- 
sionally annoyed the inhabitants so much that re- 
wards were publicly offered, and appropriations 
made by the town, to any person who should de- 
stroy one. The roads, except the main county 
road from Salem to IpsAvich were little more than 
cart paths and lanes leading to the various farms. 
Col. Porter has informed me that his mother told 
him when she first came to Wenham, which must 
have been about 1750, that they were obhged to 
trace their way by marks upon the trees. Each 
man lived for himself and very much Avithin the 
circle of his family, satisfied with managing his OAvn 
affairs and contented to have his neighbors do the 
same. NeAvspapers and books Avere extremely 
rare, and the means of travelling quite limited. 
For many years the inhabitants seem to have 
troubled themselves but very little about public 
affairs. From 1747 to 1767, a period of tAventy 
years, the toAA^n sent only once a representative to 
the General Court. In those days each toAA^n AA^as 
required to pay the salary and expenses of its own 
delegates, and this, Avith the fact that little interest 
Avas taken in State affairs, may perhaps account for 
it, that they so seldom sent any one. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 55 

The population of the town continued gradually 
to increase, from its settlement until 1725 or '30, 
after which it remained nearly stationary for a 
hundred years or more. At the death of Rev. Mr. 
Gerrish, in 1720, the number of inhabitants is 
stated to have been three times as large as at his 
ordination, in 1673. In 1733, the number of men 
paying a poll tax was 114 ; in 1750, they had de- 
creased to 106, but in 1775, rose again to 123. 
From these data we may suppose the population of 
the town to have been about 500 persons — as 
many probably as it would support in the then rude 
state of agriculture and in the entire absence of 
the manufacturing arts."^ One son in every family 
usually remained at home to inherit the farm and 
see his parents comfortably supported in their old 
age ; the rest of the family went abroad to seek 
their fortunes in the world, according to the ap- 
proved New England style. Most of them proba- 
bly emigrated to Maine, New Hampshire, Yermont, 
and the more recent towns in the central and west- 
ern part of Massachusetts. Thus families original- 
ly settled in Wenham might now be traced into 
nearly if not quite every State in the Union. 

*Until the close of the Revolution it was a general pi-actice for 
fothers to entail their property so that it could not be sold by their 
heirs. Evenafter the law authorizing it was repealed, the custom still 
continued, of giving to the oldest son, or to the one who remained 
at home, the largest share of the property. By this means, the 
estate was kept together and preserved often for many generations, 
in the family name. Probably tliere have been more chanires of real 
estate during the last thirty years than occurred in the one hundred 
and sixty years irom the settlement of the town to the beginning of 
this century. 



56 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

Thirty-three, out of the first sixty-three years of 
the last century, were consumed in wars with the 
French and Indians. Wenham did not suffer so 
much as many of the frontier towns, from the di- 
rect assaults of the savage, but she contributed 
freely her share of recruits to the forces raised by 
the colony, for the common defense. The burdens 
of the war were still more felt in the taxes impos- 
ed for its maintenance, and in the frequent derange- 
ments of the currency, produced by the large re- 
missions of bills of credit. After the war of George 
II., which ended in 1748, the value of these bills 
became so much depreciated that the town was 
obliged to add £220 to the salary of Rev. Mr. 
Warren, in addition to the £130 a year on which 
he was settled. Yet Mr. Swain who was ordained 
two years later, was contented with but <£70 a 
year, which in the new emission was perhaps real- 
ly worth as much as X350 of the old. It is hardly 
possible for us who have never known the evils in- 
cident to an uncertain and fluctuating currency, to 
conceive of the annoyance and embarrassments 
which it must have occasioned. In many places 
salaries were made to depend upon the price of 
provisions, and rose or fell according to the cost of 
the various necessaries of life. Farmers Avere 
obliged to take the pay for their productions, in 
bills, which in six months, perhaps, were not worth 
half what they had been taken for. In order to 
live at all, the people were obliged to use a de- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 57 

gree of economy which their descendants would 
consider distressing. 

Their ordinary fare was frugal but wholesome. 
The well known bean porridge, for breakfast; 
bread, cheese and cider for luncheon ; pork and 
beans, or salt fish, or, perchance, a boiled dish for 
dinner, with bread or hasty pudding and milk, to 
which, if it were a special occasion, gingerbread, 
and apple or berry pie, were added, for supper ; 
such was their ordinary plain but substantial diet. 
Flour was seldom seen ; bread was generally made 
of corn, barley, or rye meal ; hominy and johnny 
cake were favorite dishes. Fresh meat was a rare 
luxury, only known when, at rare intervals, a calf or 
sheep was killed, or when the fortunate hunter 
brought in a supply of game. It was a long time 
before potatoes were introduced to general use ; 
cabbages, onions, beans and turnips, were the sta- 
ple vegetables. Tomatoes and many other articles 
which now stock our markets, were wholly un- 
known. Tea and coffee were scarcely known till 
the time of the Revolution.^ Their diet was fari- 
naceous, rather than animal, and if not rich, it was 
at least wholesome. Dyspepsia was scarcely heard 

* During the war, " liberty tea," as it was called was very gene- 
rally used as a substitute for tliat of China. It was made of the tour 
leaved loose-strife, or " Lysiuiochia quadrifolia." The stalks were 
pulled up, stripped of their leaves and then boded, after whioli the 
leaves were steeped in the liquor of the stalks, and then removed in 
platters and put in an oven to dry. This tea, which sold lor six- 
pence a pound, would co as far as the same quantity ot China tea. 
In place of coftee, burnt rye, peas, beans and bread were ottcn usea. 
The principal beverage, however, was cider or home brewed beer. 



58 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 



of, and the demand for " pliysic and the physician/' 
was evidently much less than in these degenerate 
days of luxury and progress. 

The houses of the first settlers were, probably, 
mere cabins, built of logs. Of the structures built 
a little later, many still remain, but generally, so al- 
tered, that those who built them could hardly re" 
cognize the work of their own hands. A few of 
them still retain the gable ends and projecting 
second story — so built, it is said, for protection 
against the " bloody salvages." Timber was abun- 
dant in those days, and, as the architects consulted 
strength and durability, rather than taste, they 
often consumed materials enough on one building 
to construct two or three in our times. The 
houses usually contained few apartments, but these, 
although low studded, were of good size. Often, 
only one room was finished, the rest of the house 
being used for drying apples and storing corn and 
other vegetables, or appropriated by the children 
for their play. At one end was an immense chim- 
ney, with a fire-place large enough to hold a good 
sized " back-log," and also to accommodate the 
younger members of the family. No lack of fuel, 
then ; thirty to forty cords of wood was the com- 
mon yearly allowance for the minister — an amount 
which would now be worth more than the entire 
salary then given. The windows were small, pro- 
tected by shutters, and often covered with oiled 
paper. The door was strong, and though opened by 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 59 

a latch-string, was thick enough to be bullet proof. 
The floor was of split pine, roughly smoothed with 
an adze, Avhile the hearth of large, flat stones, oc- 
cupied one entire side of the room. The furniture 
was of the simplest character — two or three high- 
backed chairs, a massive table, a settle, and perhaps 
a large chest, with carved front, while around the 
walls were placed some birch-bark boxes for cloth- 
ing. In the cupboard might be seen wooden bowls 
and trenchers, horn drinking cups, and earthen 
platters. An old, but trusty fire-lock, and a sword, 
if the occupant chanced to be an ofiicer in the 
militia, hung from the ceiling. On the mantle 
stood an hour-glass for the purpose of marking the 
time, and beside it the well thumbed Bible, 
which, with possibly an almanac, and a copy of the 
Pilgrim's Progress or Saint's Rest, constituted the 
entire literary stock of the family. The houses 
that were built a little later, say one hundred to 
one hundred and fifty years ago, were usually two 
stories high, with the second story jutting out a 
foot or more over the lower. The roofs were gen- 
erally hipped or gambrel, and the windoAvs were 
about two and a half feet long by one and a half 
wide, and set with diamond-shaped panes of glass 
three or four inches long. As lime was little known 
or worked in those days, the walls of houses were 
daubed with clay mixed with straw. The rooms, 
instead of being papered, were nicely white-wash- 
ed. Few houses had more than one chimney. In 



60 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

place of a marble or painted mantel-piece, the fire- 
places were frequently ornamented with Dutch 
tiles representing Scripture scenes. The parlor 
was sometimes painted, but often er the floor was 
sanded ; carpets were unknown in the country. 
Few houses were painted on the outside, as late as 
1800. 

As to clothing, that of our forefathers was usual- 
ly of their own manufacture. The act of 1642, re- 
quires that the Selectmen should, among other 
things, see to it that the " boys who were set to^ 
keep cattle, be set to some other implement with 
all, as spinning upon the rock, knitting, weaving 
tape, dc. They are also to provide that a suffi- 
cient quantity of materials, as hemp, flax, c&c, 
be raised in their several towns, and tools and 
implements provided for working out the same." 
Thus every family was expected to do its own spin- 
ning and weaving. The hum of the great wheel 
and the clang of the loom were to be heard in 
every household. Every mother was tailor and 
dress-maker for her own family. Linsey-woolsey 
and homespun had not yet given place to broad- 
cloths, silks and satins." Our ancestors were not 
so richly nor so elegantly dressed as their descend- 
ants, nor would they have appeared to so good ad- 
vantage in the ball-room or the promenade ; yet 
beneath their rough exterior, their hearts beat as 
warm and true as in any of their more polished but 
more effeminate posterity. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 61 

As already intimated, few events of interest oc- 
curred for the history of Wenham, in the early 
part of the last century, and some of those come 
in more appropriately in other chapters. In 1714, 
the people of Ipswich Hamlet, many of whom had 
previously attended public worship in Wenham, 
withdrew and formed a church in their own town. 
Their loss, however, did not seem to be very se- 
verely felt, since, besides paying them for the part 
which they owned in the Wenham meeting-house, 
the people proceeded to raise £G0 for repairing the 
house that same year. In the course of these re- 
pairs the ceilings were, for the first time, plastered. 

From the settlement of the town especial pains 
were taken to prevent the settlement of any va- 
grant or worthless person within its limits. Nu- 
merous instances are detailed in the records, where 
such persons were summarily warned out. From 
many similar examples, we select one dated Feb. 
11, 1714 : " At a meeting of the selectmen, they 
appointed the Town Clerk to draw a warrant to 
constable Eben. Batchelder, to warn Margaret Po- 
land to depart and leave our town, and it was done 
and sent accordingly." ^' I have warned said Mar- 
garet Poland, widov/, to depart and leave the town, 
and Samuel Patch, that he don't entertain her. 
Feb. 25, 1714. E. Batchelder." 

The selectmen also exercised a careful super- 
vision over the morals of the actual inhabitants, as 
may appear from the following record : '^ Feb. 27, 
6 



62 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

1719. Upon complaint made to the selectmen of 
Wenham that Robert Symonds^ of said town, doth 
live as a common tippler, misspending his time and 
estate at the tavern, greatly to the damage of his 
family, these are to give notice to the tavern-keeper 
that he do not entertain him in his house, to sit tip- 
pling and misspending his time upon penalty of the 
law." 

In 1725, the town agreed with Rev. Robert 
Ward, their pastor, to take a lot of land which he 
had purchased, and to hold it for the use of the^ 
parish. This lot, which contained three or four 
acres, was at the the corner, where the road to the 
Neck turns off from the highway to Ipswich. It was 
held by the town for the use of the minister, for 
more than a hundred years. It was at last sold by 
a vote of the town, April, 1840, and the proceeds 
appropriated to building a parsonage. 

From 1732, till his death in 1742, the town was 
represented in the General Court by the Hon. Wm. 
Fairfield. He was regularly re-elected every year, 
and by a large majority. During the session of 
1741, he was Speaker of the House of Representa- 
tives, at that time the highest office in the gift of 
the people, the Governor and Lieut. Governor 
being appointed by the King. 

In these days every town was required to pay 
its own deputy, but in case a town failed to send 
once within a certain number of years, it was lia- 
ble to a fine. In this state of things, men who 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 63 

were possessed of property and leisure, and withal, 
had a share of ambition, would sometimes offer to 
forego their salary, and even to pay their own ex- 
penses in case they were elected. Such an ar- 
rangement seems to have been made several times 
in the early history of Wenham. But even so, it 
was not always possible to secure the services of a 
representative. The people seem to have been so 
absorbed in their own affairs as often to take less 
interest than is usually now the case in the affairs 
of the nation. Thus in 1749, May 17th, we find the 
following record : '^ At a meeting of the freehold- 
ers and other inhabitants of Wenham, lawfully 
warned and assembled in order to make choice of a 
person to represent them in a great and general 
court in Boston, upon Wednesday, the thirty-first 
day of May current, after several trials made for 
the choice of a person for said service, none could 
be obtained, and therefore the compassionate re- 
gards of the Honorable, the House of Representa- 
tives were humbly requested." Whether these 
" compassionate regards " Avere obtained or not, 
history does not inform us. At all events, no rep- 
resentative was chosen for six years, and but two 
during the twenty-five years which followed. A 
somewhat similar record to the above is found 
May 14, 1736, viz.: '^ At a town meeting to choose 
a representative, we being met together, have en- 
deavored by all the best means we could, but could 
not have a legal choice, and so dismissed the meet- 



64 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

ing and returned the precept, praying the favor of 
the Honorable Court of Representatives." 

During the French War of 1756 to 1763, the re- 
sources of most of the New England towns were 
severely taxed. Several of the inhabitants of Wen- 
ham enlisted in the regiment commanded by Col. 
Ichabod Plaisted, of Salem. Perhaps in conse- 
quence of this, the Rev. Mr. Swain was chosen as 
their chaplain, and accompanied them in the expe- 
dition to Crown Point. Two years earlier, the 
French settlements in Acadia were reduced, and 
the inhabitants forced to remove. The event has 
been recently brought into general notice by the 
thrilling tale of the wanderings of Evangeline, as 
related by one of our most popular poets. One of 
the families appears to have fallen to the share of 
Wenham, and repeated orders are given by the se- 
lectmen, for various articles for their support. 
Their names are nowhere found, being probably 
too hard for the learning of the town officers. 
They are mentioned simply as '' neutral French," 
or the " French family." They are supposed to 
have occupied the place now known as Herrick's 
Corner. The house was at this time owned by Mr. 
Jonathan Porter, and was rented by him, with the 
garden belonging to it, for 20^. per annum. This 
rent was afterwards changed to " 145. and Sd. and 
the herbage of the burying place." Whether Ga- 
briel or Evangeline visited this 'family in their wan- 
derings, we are not informed. The '^ French neu- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 65 

trals" were finally. disposed of, Dec. 20, 17G2, to 
Dr. Putnam, of Danvers. 

At the commencement of this war, all the colo- 
nies north of A^irginia met by their delegates, at 
Albany, and drew up a plan of union for the differ- 
ent colonies, by which they might co-operate more 
effectually against their enemies, the French and 
Indians. This instrument was signed by all the 
deputies, except those from Connecticut, on the 
4th of July, 1754, just twenty-two years before the 
Declaration of Independence. It provided that a 
General Assembly should be formed by deputies 
from each of the colonies, and that this Assembly 
should have the power of enacting laws, imposing 
taxes, arranging for the common defence, &c., 
subject to a veto from the Governor General, who 
was to be appointed by the King. It will be 
perceived that this plan of union much resembles 
the one afterwards adopted by the provincial Con- 
gress. It proved, however, to be extremely dis- 
tasteful to the people. A town meeting of the in- 
habitants of Wenham was called to consider the 
subject, and '^ the question being put, whether the 
plan for a general union of the several colonies on 
this continent shall pass to be enacted, it was 
unanimously resolved in the negative." And then 
a resolution was passed, which was also unanimous, 
instructing Capt. John Dodge, their representative, 
" to use the utmost of his endeavors to prevent 
any plan for a union, that may be concerted by the 
6* 



66 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

General Court." The latter part of this resolution 
probably referred to another plan proposed by the 
mother country, that the Governors, and one of 
the Council from each colony, should annually 
meet and be invested with similar powers to those 
above granted to the assembly of deputies. 
Neither of these plans was carried into effect. It 
is not unlikely that the local attachment of each 
colony to its own charter and form of government 
had its influence in the matter ; but the principal 
opposition arose from jealousy of giving the mother 
country or the King too much power. It is wor- 
thy of remark, as showing the spirit of the colo- 
nies, even at that early day, that they volunteered, 
if the union should go into effect, to manage the 
war upon this continent, without any help from 
England. 

The part which the people of Wenham bore in 
the events of these old wars, is unfortunately not 
recorded. The men who took part in those scenes 
have long since passed away. In those tedious 
and often bloody campaigns, we have no doubt that 
the people of this town contributed their full share 
both of blood and treasure. It has been estimated 
that nearly one-third of the men in the colony, able 
to do military duty, were called into the field in 
the course of this war, and every town was com- 
pelled to furnish its quota both of troops and pro- 
visions. The burdens, which our ancestors had to 
bear in these protracted struggles, were such as 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 67 

can hardly be estimated or imagined by the people 
of this generation. It is no small proof of the in- 
herent energy and vitality of the colonies, that 
they not only sustained these continual drafts upon 
their strength and resources, but continued to in- 
crease in numbers as well as in material wealth 
and prosperity in spite of them. 

At this period, much of the country was yet 
covered with extensive forests, in which wild 
beasts were still not uncommon. Between 1752 
and 1757, the wolves seem to have been unusually 
numerous and troublesome. In 1754, one article 
in a warrant for a town meeting was, "to see what 
measures the town will come into for the destruc- 
tion of wolves." Accordingly a vote was passed 
to give, in conjunction with the towns of Ipswich, 
Manchester, Gloucester, and Beverly, " A bounty 
of £6 13s. 4:d. in addition to the province bounty, 
to any person or persons who shall kill a wolf, or 
wolf's whelp, within the limits of the towns afore- 
said." The next year a vote was also passed, 
offering " to Jona. Page, of Lunenburg, or Robert 
Dodge of Beverly, or any other person, who shall 
kill a wolf within the limits of the above towns, 
during the next twelve months, the bounty of 285. 
out of the money of the town, for each wolf so 
killed." 

After the close of the French War, the currency 
became again depreciated. A committee appointed 
in 1765, to investigate the effect of this upon Mr. 



68 HtSTOEY OF WENHAM. 

Swain's salary, " and to run a parallel between the 
price of tlie necessaries of life, from this day back 
to the day when he was settled with us in the 
work of the ministry," reported that X57 ought to 
be added to his salary, which was originally XTO. 
In addition to this, £30 was granted to him the 
next spring, " to relieve him from immediate em- 
barrassments." 

The prices of labor on the highway, were fixed 
in 1763, at two shillings per day, for every man,* 
one shilling and fourpence for every yoke of oxen ; 
one shilling for a cart, the same for a horse, and 
one shilling fourpence for a plough. 



EEVOLUTIONAUT PERIOD. 



We come now to a most interesting and impor- 
tant portion of the history of the town. But I 
must commence with apologizing for the meagre 
and unsatisfactory sketch, which even after the 
most careful research, it is in my power to give of 
it. The persons who lived and acted a prominent 
part in the scenes of that day, are all gone. 
Scarcely one or two survive, who can faintly remem- 
ber the closing scenes of the war. Had the task 
been attempted twelve or fifteen years ago, while 
several who distinctly remembered those scenes, 
were still alive, many important particulars might 
have been preserved, which are now irrecoverably 
lost. Many anecdotes and traditions of things 
trivial in themselves, would still have been valua- 
ble, as showing the spirit of the times, and giving 
breadth and fullness to a picture of which we are 
able to present only the rude outlines. 

The idea of taxing the colonies by Act of Parlia- 
ment, for the benefit of the home government, had 



70 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

long been entertained in England. Sir Robert 
Walpole, when the proposal was made to him in 
1735, while he was Prime Minister, replied, '■'■ I 
leave it to some of my successors, who are bolder 
than I." And Pitt, twenty years later, said, " I will 
never burn my fingers with an American Stamp 
Act." But soon after the French War, the ministry, 
not perceiving the difficulties which those great 
statesmen had foreseen, determined to impose a 
tax upon the colonies. The beginning of these 
measures was the odious Stamp Act, passed in 1765, 
and the manner in which it was received, might 
have shown the people of England that the inhabi- 
tants of the various colonies knew and prized their 
rights, and were not disposed to give them up 
without a struggle. The Stamp Act was soon re- 
pealed, and the people rejoiced as if their troubles 
were at an end. But other measures of taxation 
were speedily introduced, including a tariff upon 
glass, paper, and tea. The duties upon these arti- 
cles were also taken off in 1770, except those upon 
tea. The merchants, in many towns of the 
State, at once determined to import no more tea, 
and the people sustained them in that resolution. 
The measure found more favor with the men than 
with the female part of the community, who, though 
they were generally on the side of freedom, were 
many of them unwilling to give up their favorite 
beverage. Many amusing anecdotes are told of 
the manner in which they used secretly to obtain 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 71 

and drink it in the absence of their husbands. 



whose unexpected return home sometimes sadly 
disappointed their hopes and deranged their 
schemes. 

In 1768, the town appointed Benjamin Fairfield, 
as their delegate '' to convene with such persons 
as shall be sent from the several towns in this 
province, as a committee of convention, to meet in 
Faneuil Hall, in Boston, that such measures may 
be consulted and advised, as His Majesty's service 
and the peace and safety of his subjects in this 
province may require." This convention continued 
its sessions for several days, and the diflSculties 
between the mother country and her colonies were 
fully discussed. 

The people of Boston were, from their position 
and circumstances, placed in the van of the revolu- 
tionary movement. But though they thus stood 
in the forefront of the battle, they had ample as- 
surances of sympathy and support from the coun- 
try towns. Committees of Correspondence were 
early appointed in the various towns to whom the 
people of Boston communicated respecting their 
grievances, and thus a mutual good understanding 
was kept up between them and every part of the 
commonwealth. Thus the inhabitants of the coun- 
try were informed of every event of importance as 
soon as it occurred, and their minds were gradually 
prepared for prompt and decisive action, when the 
hour of action had arrived. The example of Mas- 



72 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

sacliusetts, in this respect, was followed by other 
States, and these committees, by diffusing informa- 
tion and promoting harmony of sentiment and 
action, became an important part of the machinery 
of the Revolution. 

A meeting of the people of Wenham was called 
May 19, 1773, to take into consideration the letters 
and pamphlet of the Boston Committee of Corres- 
pondence. Benjamin Fairfield was chosen mode- 
rator, and the subject was referred to a committee 
of five persons, viz., Messrs. Benjamin Fairfield, 
John Friend, Daniel Kilham, Jr., Tyler Porter, and 
Edward Waldron, with instructions to make a 
report at an adjourned meeting. This report was 
as follows : 

" We, the subscribers, being a committee ap- 
pointed to take into consideration the Boston let- 
ters from the Committee of Correspondence of said 
town, wherein are inserted certain grievances, 
having maturely considered the same, are of opin- 
ion that the rights of the colonies, and of this, in 
particular, are infringed upon in many instances, 
and therefore is a great grievance to all His Majes- 
ty's loyal subjects, and has a direct tendency to 
the destruction of our happy constitution. We 
will not descend into particulars, they having been 
so often enumerated before, but only mention some 
of the most obvious, viz. : the giving our chief for. 
tress into the hands of His Majesty's troops, over 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 73 

whom our Governor saith he hath no power or 
command ; and 2dly, the appointing salaries to our 
Chief Justices at home, and that we are denied the 
privilege of choosing an agent, and hereby render- 
ed unable to petition His Majesty, but by way of 
the Governor, who is perhaps the very man we 
want to petition against. We are far from being 
easy under the present administration of govern- 
ment, and the situation of our civil rights and priv- 
ileges, and ardently wish they may be redressed 
speedily. Having no representative to give in- 
structions to, we shall always be ready to join with 
the town of Boston and others in all constitution- 
al methods, to preserve our civil and religious priv- 
ileges inviolate, and may that Almighty Being who 
governs all things in infinite mercy, preside in all 
our councils, and direct to such measures as he 
himself shall approve of, and may we ever be a 
people favored of heaven, and may this become 
ImmanuePs land." 

Dated at Wenham, June 30, 1773, 

And signed by Benj. Fairfield, 

John Friend, | ^ 

Daniel KiLHAM, Jr. [ ^^^' 
Tyler Porter, 

The above report was " accepted by a great ma. 

jority," and it was voted that a copy be sent to the 

Committee of Correspondence at Boston." This 

was two years before the battle of Lexington, and 

shows how gradually and thoroughly the people 

were prepared for that great event. About the 

7 



74 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

same time, the selectmen examined the town's 
stock of ammunition, (which used to be kept under 
the pulpit in the meeting-house,) and found it in 
good condition. An anecdote is still related which 
may be worth preserving, as showing the spirit of 
the times. Mr. William Fairfield at this time, lived 
in the house now occupied by Mr. William Porter. 
•Some British troops were marching across the 
country, and their uniforms were suddenly discov- 
ered, as they ascended the little eminence by the 
burial-ground. The others present proposed to 
flee ; '' not a step," cried Mrs. Fairfield ; '' give me 
a spit, and I'll pepper one of the villians." Armed 
with this rude weapon, she stood her ground man- 
fully, but the soldiers passed on their way without 
turning aside to molest her. 

The next year the Boston Committee of Corres- 
pondence made other communications to the town, 
and Messrs. Billy Porter, John Friend, Stephen 
Dodge, William Cleaves, and Tyler Porter were ap- 
pointed a committee to make a reply, which unfor- 
tunately has not been preserved. At the same 
time, the town voted to pay its proportional part 
in any sum of money, which might be granted by a 
provincial Congress. In September, 1774, Benja- 
min Fairfield was chosen to attend the General 
Court, which had been summoned to meet at Salem, 
and received instructions " to join the other mem- 
bers in forming a provincial Congress, if need be.'' 
In December of the same year, Mr. Fairfield was 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 75 

re-elected to this Congress, wliicli met at Water- 
town. A vote was also passed " to raise fifteen 
minute men, and that each man shall have one shil- 
ling for every half day he is mustered by his offi- 
cers to exercise." The following persons were 
appointed a committee " to draw up articles, and to 
enlist the men," viz., Messrs. Billy Porter, Richard 
Dodge, Jr., and Matthew Fairfield. A fine of £10 
was imposed upon every one who should enlist and 
fail to be properly equipped, or to attend upon the 
exercises according to the direction of the officers. 
Upon the recommendation of the provincial Con- 
gress, a collection was taken up for the poor of 
Boston, wdio had suffered severely in the interrup- 
tions of business, occasioned by the occupation of 
the town by the British troops. 

These preparations indicated that the critical 
moment was at hand. The slightest spark only 
was needed to set the whole country on fire. The 
attempt of the British troops to seize the Ameri- 
can stores at Concord, kindled at once the flame of 
war. The farmer left his plough, the mechanic his 
workshop, and bidding a hasty adieu to their wives 
and little ones, rushed to the scene of action. The 
people of Wenham were too remote to have any 
share in the deeds of that illustrious day. But 
here, as elsewhere, the tidings lighted a flame of 
fire in the breast of every man who heard of it. 
Almost the entire population of the town enlisted 
n the service. One hundred and thirty-seven men. 



76 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

which must have included almost every able-bodied 
man in the town, were (for a short time) under 
arms, although it is probable that many of them 
served but a few days or weeks. Quite a large 
number, however, remained in the service, from 
two months to a year. 

May 22d, Mr. Benjamin Fairfield was chosen a 
delegate to the provincial Congress at Watertown, 
and a committee of safety was appointed " to guard 
against our enemies, and to conduct as they think 
best for the safety of the town." This committee 
consisted of Messrs. Caleb Kimball, Tyler Porter? 
Daniel Kilham, Jr., Stephen Dodge, and Thomas 
Kimball. 

The British troops, in the meantime, remained 
closely shut up in Boston, narrowly watched by 
the provincial troops, who occupied the surround- 
ing towns. Gaining courage by delay, the latter 
soon ventured upon offensive operations. On the 
night preceding the 17th of June, they ventured 
into Charlestown, and erected some hasty fortifica- 
tions upon Bunker's hill. The next day followed 
that desperate and glorious conflict, in which an 
ill-armed and half disciplined militia thrice repelled 
the assaults of veterans. " That day," Gen. Bur- 
goyne wrote to his superiors at home, '^ America 
was lost to the British Empire." In the scenes of 
that day, the citizen soldiers of Wenham bore their 
part. 

No other battles occurred upon the soil of Mas- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 77 

sachusetts. The remainder of the campaign was 
spent in drilhug the troops and in blockading and 
harassing the English in their stronghold. Early 
the next year, Gen. Washington, by fortifying Dor- 
chester heights, compelled the British troops to 
evacuate Boston, and the war which had opened 
thus gloriously upon Lexington and Bunker's hill, 
was transferred to other States, where the enemy 
hoped to find an easier field for operations and a 
less determined resistance. In consequence of 
this change in the seat of war, the people of Ncav 
England were relieved from the immediate danger 
of assault, and were left to pursue their own affairs 
in comparative quiet. They did not, however, lose 
their interest in the obstinate and protracted 
struggle, which was carried on during seven long, 
weary years, in the middle and southern sections 
of the Union. No State contributed more recruits 
to that noble continental army, which, under 
the command of Washington, was the principal 
instrument in securing our independence. Nor 
was any State more liberal in furnishing the sup- 
plies of money and provisions, by which that army 
was sustained. Every year, as long as the war 
lasted, we find the people of Wenham providing 
the required number of soldiers, equipping them 
for the war, and taking care for their wives and 
children, during their long absence. .£10 a year 
was paid by the town, to each soldier, in addition, 
7* 



78 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

to what they might receive from the State, besides 
a bounty at the first enlistment. 

From the report of a committee which has 
been preserved, it appears that at the time this was 
made, Dec. 23, 1776, the town had ah^eady paid, in 
this manner, X574 5s. 6d., since the battle of Lex- 
ington, which was about a year and a half previ- 
ous. At this time, twenty-five of the citizens of 
Wenham had been a year or more in the army, 
and thirty-six others had served for periods vary- 
ing from six months to a year. After this, no reg- 
ular account has been preserved, of the services of 
our people. But from the muster rolls, still pre- 
served at the State House, and from the pension 
lists, we learn that the town furnished its full quota 
of recruits for each campaign. Unfortunately, no 
one is now living who is able to give those inci- 
dents, details and particulars on these points, which 
we should so much like to knoAV. 

March 13, 1776, the town chose Messrs. John 
Friend, Tyler Porter, Stephen Dodge, Caleb Kim- 
ball, and Jacob Dodge, as a Committee of Safety 
for the ensuing year, with instructions similar to 
those of their predecessors. As after this year the 
war was removed from this vicinity, no committee 
seems to have been subsequently needed. 

On July 4th, of this year, the celebrated Declar- 
ation of Independence was enacted by Congress. It 
was approved by the people of Wenham, and was 
copied out in full, and in an elegant hand, upon the 
records of the town. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 79 

Dec. 9thj it was voted to grant the sum of X6, as 
a bounty for each soldier who should serve three 
months, and X200 was raised for this purpose. 
Two months later, X15 was granted to every sol- 
dier, who would enlist for the campaign, and £18 
to all who had already served in the continental 
army, and were w^illing to re-enlist ; and the town 
treasurer was authorized to borrow £250 in order to 
pay this bounty. Thirty-one votes were also given 
for County Registrar, the first office left vacant by 
change of government, which was filled by a popu- 
lar election. It was also resolved to supply the 
families of the soldiers who were engaged in the 
continental army, with corn, pork, beef, wood, 
wool, flax and sauce," and Messrs. Jacob Dodge, 
Thomas Kimball and Peter Dodge were chosen as 
a committee for the purpose. 

This year the small pox broke out here as well 
as in some of the adjoining towns. An inoculating 
house was provided, where those who wished, 
could have the disease in a milder form, and those 
who were seized with it unexpectedly, could be 
taken care of The disease continued to prevail at 
intervals for several years. When a person was 
affected with it, he was carried at once to the " pest 
house," and the house and yards thoroughly smoked, 
while fences were thrown up across the way, to 
prevent the risk of infection. It is hardly possible 
for us to form an idea of the terror, with which 
this fearful disorder was regarded. Inoculation 



80 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

was at best a very doubtful remedy, it being quite 
uncertain whether more was not done by it to in- 
crease than to check the spread of the disease. 
Since 1800, vaccination and improved -methods of 
treatment have rendered almost harmless this once 
terrible scourge of the human race. 

As the war went on, large amounts of scrip 
were issued by the various Legislatures, in pay- 
ment of the soldiers, or for other purposes. These 
at first were taken at par, but as the quantity con- 
tinued to increase without any prospect of their 
being redeemed in specie, their value rapidly de- 
clined. At first an attempt was made to compel 
their circulation. A convention was held at Con- 
cord for the purpose of appreciating the paper 
currency, in the results of which the town voted 
to concur. Accordingly a committee of nine was 
appointed to regulate the prices of labor, and of 
the various necessaries of life. But every effort to 
sustain the paper currency was in vain. People 
would not and could not be compelled to sell at the 
prices fixed by committees or conventions. The 
continental paper-money continued to depreciate 
till 1781, when a silver dollar was wOrth forty of 
the new, and thirty-two dollars of the old emission. 

This depreciation of the currency may be traced 
in the sums of money raised by the town in suc- 
cessive years. In 1776, X200 were raised for the 
expenses of the town and the war ; this appropri- 
ation was increased in '77, to £600 ; in '78, to 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 81 

Xl,200 ; in 79, to X4,000 ; and October, 1780, it 
was voted to raise £40,000, ($133,333), for the ex- 
penses of that year. Mr. Swain's salary was in- 
creased by adding £100 ; then £300 ; then £300 
more were given him for teaching school; then 
£600 per year. After that it was paid in silver or 
produce. In 1780, £1500, ($5,000) were voted for 
the support of schools. After 1778, the selectmen 
were paid for their services, at the rate of a bushel 
of corn a day. i 

Committees were appointed from year to year, 
to procure the number of soldiers required for the 
war, with instructions to obtain them from w^ithin 
the town if they could, and if not, from abroad. 
At the time of the greatest scarcity of specie, in 
1781, $100 a year, " in hard money," were offered, 
' to each man who would enlist into the continent- 
al army, for three years, or during the war. This, 
which was in addition to their claims upon the 
State, for pay, pensions, dc, must be considered a 
generous compensation, when the wages of a day's 
labor was only two shillings. The town was also 
heavily taxed for beef and provisions to supply the 
army. In 1780, the following sums were paid for 
this purpose, viz., to Mr Jacob Dodge, £1,529 ; to 
Richard Dodge, £2,157 18s., to Tyler Porter, 
£1,890. The next year the bills for army supplies 
are all reckoned under one head, and amount to 
£13,140 ! The sum of £16,000, ($53,333) had been 
voted. 



82 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

Mr. Stephen Dodge was chosen a delegate to the 
convention, which met at Concord to form a Con- 
stitution for the State. The constitution which 
they proposed was not^ however, acceptable to the 
people of the town, nor was it generally popular, 
and, in consequence, it never went into operation. 

May 19, 1780, is still memorable as the da7-h day. 
The sun rose clear, but soon became obscured, 
and the darkness continued to increase till one 
o'clock P. M. Candles were lighted, fowls retired 
to roost, and all nature assumed the appearance of 
night. This darkness extended over the State of 
Massachusetts, but was thickest in Essex county. 
The night which followed, was also extremely 
dark until about midnight, Avhen the clouds were 
dispersed, and the moon and stars appeared in their 
brilliancy. The superstitious were greatly alarmed 
at these phenomena, some supposing that the day 
of judgment had indeed come ; others, that it por- 
tended war and disaster. The cause of this dark- 
ness is supposed to be an accumulation of dense 
clouds, which had been formed by the smoke from 
extensive fires in Maine, New Hampshire and Ver- 
mont. 

April 2, 1781, was the first election for Gover- 
nor, Lieut. Governor and Senators. The vote 
stood for Governor, John Hancock, 28 ; for Lieut. 
Governor, Thomas Cushing, 28 ; for Senators, El- 
bridge Gerry, John Pickering, Samuel Holten, 
Stephen Choate, Jona. Greenleaf and Samuel Phil- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 83 

lips, 28; being thus unanimous througliout — a 
result not common in later elections. The State 
government was thus re-organized, and that order 
of things established, under which we stiil continue 
to live. 

I will close this brief and imperfect sketch of the 
revolutionary period, by a list, as far as I have been 
able to procure it, from the records of the town 
and the archives at the State House, of those who 
were engaged in that memorable struggle. 

MIKUTE MEN. 

John Friend, Jr., Abraham Brown, Eben'r Batchelder, Israel 
Batchelder, Geo. Dwinell, Nath'l Gott, Eben'r Kimball, Israel 
A. Dodge, Francis Porter, Asa Porter, Nath'l Ober, Josiah 
Ober, Jr., Samuel Ober, Amos Knowlton, Isaac Porter. — To- 
tal, 15. 

Names of those who served six weeks or more 
previous to 1777. 

Asa Porter, Capt. Matthew Fairfield, Israel Batchelder, Jo- 
seph Batchelder, Josiah Batchelder, Jr., Daniel Rogers, Simon 
Dodge, Israel Dodge, Jr., Jas. Poland, Samuel Webber, An- 
drew Cole, John Hilliard, Abraham Brown, Capt. Billy Porter, 
Thos. Knowlton, Nath'l Poland, Abraham Knowlton, Amos 
Knowlton, Capt. Richard Dodge, Newel Davison, Caleb Knowl- 
ton, Joseph Webber, Capt. John Dodge, Reuben Patch, Eben'r 
Porter, Jr., Josiah Herrick, Isaac Giddings, Jr., Cornelius Ba- 
ker, David Harris, Nath'l Gott, Sam'l Raymond, John Friend, 
Jr., Bartholomew Dodge, Sam'l Ober, Josiah Ober, Jr., Asa 
Kimball, Ephraim Kimball, Jos. KimbaD, Amos Batclielder, 
Nath'l Porter, Jona. Low, Tyler Porter, Nath'l Ober, John Per- 
kins, Sam'l Brown, Daniel Kilham, Skipper Dodge, Benjamin 



84 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

Dodge, Benj. Edwards, Abram Edwards, Wm. Dodge, Abner 
Haggett, Edward Waldron, Nathan Brown, Abram Wyatt, 
John Giddings, Amos Lefavour, Wm. Cleaves, Andrew Allen, 
Francis Porter, Israel A. Dodge, Moses Brown, Jonathan Fisk, 
Jona. Moulton, Wm. Webber, Thos. Kimball, Sam'l Kimball, 
Caleb Kimball, Eben'r Batehelder, Jr., John Friend, John 
Dodge, Isaac Porter, Daniel Herrick, Eben. Kimball, Thomas 
Perkins, John Kilham, Jacob Dodge, Eli Messervy, Robert 
Dodge, Aaron Lee, Peter Dodge, Sam'l Quarles, Stephen 
Dodge, Amos Dodge, Isaac Patch, Dea. Sam'l Tarbox, John 
Dodge 3d., Jonas Kilham, Abel Dodge. 

Of these, the first twenty-five had served, Jan., 
1777, a year or more ; the next thirty-three from 
six to twelve months, and the remainder from one 
to six months. 

The following persons served during the later 
campaigns of the war, and mostly out of New Eng- 
land. 

Maj. Billy Porter, Lieut. Walter Fairfield, Asa Porter, Asa 
Kimball, Wm. Poland, Abraham Knowlton, Daniel Redington, 
Jonathan Goodhue, a negro servant of Tyler Porter, Sam'l 
Ober, Simon Dodge, Abram Dodge, Pelatiah Brown, Edmund 
Kimball, John Moulton, Amos Batehelder, Joshua Herrick, 
Nath'l Friend, Wm. Webber, Andrew Allen, Isaac Patch, John 
Hooker, John Perkins, York Freeman, Thomas Webber. 



CIVIL HISTORY. 



Since the Revolution, the history of the town 
has furnished few events of general interest or im- 
portance. Times of peace and prosperity are sel- 
dom distinguished by incidents worthy of much 
note. Hence, periods of the greatest national pro- 
gress and improvement, are often most barren to 
the historian. 

The return of peace here, as elsewhere, was re- 
ceived with the liveliest joy and exultation. The 
country had passed through an arduous and almost 
hopeless struggle. The rebellious colonies had 
become a great, a free, and an independent nation. 
They had achieved all for which they had contend- 
ed, but it had been done at a great sacrifice both 
of blood and treasure, and it was many years before 
the country recovered from the exhaustion conse- 
quent upon these almost superhuman eftbrts. 
Pecuniary difficulties and embarrassments were 
general and severe, in consequence of the debts 
contracted during the war. There was an almost 
universal stagnation of commerce and of business 

of everv kind. The old paper currency was worth- 
8 



86 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

less and specie was scarcely known. This state of 
things produced much discontent and uneasiness, 
and resulted in the western part of Massachusetts, 
in "Shay's Rebellion/' in 1786. The people 
of "Wenham, though suffering as much as any 
others, from the hardships of the times, stood by 
the regular government. The old soldiers of the 
Revolution, when summoned by the proper authori- 
ty, again buckled on their swords, and marched 
under the command of Col. Wade, of Ipswich, 
to suppress the insurrection. The rebels w^ere 
speedily dispersed and order was again restored. 

Soon after the Revolution, public attention was 
called to the vast regions west of the Alleghanies, 
which had been granted to the United States, by 
the treaty of 1783. The fertility of the soil, salu- 
brity of the climate, and the low rates at which the 
public lands were sold to actual settlers, were 
strong inducements for emigration, to the surplus 
population of the Atlantic States. The young, 
the hopeful, and the venturesome, were eager to 
take up the line of march for the land of which 
they had heard such wonderful accounts. From 
our own neighborhood started the first expedition 
to explore and settle those unknown wilds. It was 
" a long, ark-like wagon, covered with black can- 
vas, and inscribed on the outside, in large letters, 
to Marietta, on the Ohio." This expedition, under 
the care of Dr. Cutler, of Hamilton, and in which 
several of the people of Wenham took an active 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 87 

part, founded the first town in the State of Ohio — 
a State which now contains more than two miUions 
of inhabitants, to whom not Old England but Xew 
England is a father-land. Many persons will recall 
with pleasure, numerous anecdotes of this expedi- 
tion, as related by the late John T. Dodge, Esq., 
who was actively concerned in it, but who after- 
wards returned, and was for many years a promi- 
nent citizen of Wenham. 

A vote was passed in 1785, to repair the monu- 
ment over the grave of the Rev. Joseph Gerrish. 
It will be remembered that Mr. Gerrish was pas- 
tor of the church for nearly fifty years, and his 
death occurred more than sixty years before the 
passage of this vote. This act, on the part of 
the town, shows that his memory was still rever- 
enced, and his labors not forgotten. Col. Porter 
has informed me that he assisted on this occasion, 
in placing the present slab which marks the site of 
Mr. GerrJsh's grave. 

The next year the town voted, " to petition the 
General Court for liberty to erect a bridge over 
Beverly Ferry." The idea of this was probably 
suggested by the bridge, which had recently been 
built to connect Boston and Charlestown. With 
the increase of population and travel, the incon- 
venience of a ferry must have been felt quite sen- 
sibly. The petition was not at this time granted. 
But so anxious were the people for a bridge, that 
the next year the town chose two agents, Capf 



88 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

John Gardner and Capt. Richard Dodge, " to rep- 
resent them at the Hon. General Court, now sittmg 
in Boston, to satisfy the Legislature, of the propri- 
ety and reasonableness of the petition of George 
Cabot, Esq., and others, respecting building a 
bridge over Beverly Ferry." This time the prayer 
of the petitioners was granted, and the next year 
the bridge was opened for travel. The right to 
take toll, which has been a source of much profit to 
the proprietors, was granted for seventy years 
which expired in 1858, when it was taken by the 
State, to be held until a sufiicient fund has been 
raised for its maintainance. 

Dec. 26, 1787, Mr. Jacob Herrick was chosen a 
delegate to the convention which was held at the 
State House, in Boston, January, 1788, " to take 
under consideration the late constitution or form 
of government proposed for their assent and ratifi- 
cation." This convention, one of the most impor- 
tant which ever met in the State, after considera- 
ble discussion, voted in favor of adopting the 
present Constitution of the United States, although 
it was not carried without strenuous opposition. 
The vote of Wenham, by its delegate, was cast in 
favor of the Constitution. 

The swine, who for more than a century had 
enjoyed the freedom of the town, (coupled only 
with the restriction that they should w^ear a yoke 
and be adorned with a ring,) were, in 1790, depriv- 
ed by a formal vote, of all their ancient and hith- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 89 

erto undisputed privileges. For them, no more 
delightful rambles in highways and bye ways ; no 
more moonlight serenades ; no more roving at 
large, over waste lots, or through the forests. We 
fancy that we can -^almost hear their dolorous 
grunts of indignation. But all opposition, not- 
withstanding their well-known obstinacy, has been 
in vain. From that time they have been obliged 
to remain in their solitary pens. With the duties, 
the glory of the name of hog-reeve has departed. 
But the swine did not lack for friends and advo- 
cates. At an adjourned meeting, their partisans 
rallied and endeavored to get the previous vote 
re-considered. We doubt not their cause was elo- 
quently supported, but all in vain. Their masters, 
in acquiring their own freedom, had only become 
more tyrannical towards their bristly dependents. 

About this time, the ancient custom of seating 
the inhabitants in the meeting-house, according to 
their supposed rank, appears to have ceased. The 
last record which I can find, of a committee for 
the purpose, was in Oct. 17, 1785, when Josiah 
Ober, Lieut. Baker, and Richard Friend, were ap- 
pointed to that office. A considerable part of the 
house was already occupied by pews which were 
owned by individuals. The influence of the Revo- 
lution was aftecting, quite perceptibly, the manners 
and habits of the people, and this, with many other 
social distinctions of our fathers, rapidly died 
8^ 



90 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

away before the popular and democratic principle 
of the equality of all mankind.*^ 

Another institution which was gradually de- 
stroyed by the spirit of freedom, was the practice 
of holding negro slaves. This practice, though it 
seems never to have prevailed to any great extent, 
was introduced into the colony at quite an early 
date. I find recorded, as long ago as 1738, an 
'^ intent of marriage between Sharp, a negro ser- 
vant of Samnel Gott, and Deborah, negro servant 
of Joseph Herrick, of Topsfield." In 1756, a vote 
was passed to lengthen the negro seat at the west 
end of the meeting-house. Tyler Porter's servant, 
Pomp, is repeatedly mentioned in the records. 
During the Pevolution he did service as a soldier. 
In 1783, he was hired of his master, to do the 
work of a sexton,f and many persons still remem- 
ber his jovial face and merry stories. 

During Washington's administration there were 
many complaints that the treaty of 1783, with 
Great Britain, had not been properly observed. 
There was still a strong feeling of hostility towards 

* I liave since found a record of the choice of a committee of three, 
for this purpose, as late as 1795. Their names were Richard Dodge, 
Richard Hood and Isaac Porter. 

t When informed that he was entitled to his freedom, by a law of 
the State, and was at liberty to go when and where he pleased, he 
replied quite indignantly, "I will not go a step: I have worked 
hard to help earn this property, and I am determined to remain and 
help spend it." He expressed, not long before his death, the singu- 
lar wish that his body might be disinterred after its decay, and the 
skeleton being wired together, might be suspended in that part of 
the attic in which he used to sleep, for the observation of future gen- 
erations. He outlived his first and second master, and finally died 
in 1833, in the service of Dr. John Porter, at the advanced age of 
nearly ninety years. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 91 

England, and it was so mucli embittered by the re- 
fusal to deliver up some posts specified in the 
treaty, and by subsequent injuries that the two 
countries were again upon the verge of war. The 
towm, in these circumstances, voted a bounty of §12 
to every man who would enlist in the United States 
Army, in addition to what he should receive from 
the government. These troubles were fortunately 
appeased by a treaty with England, negotiated by 
Mr. Jay, in 1795. It was not altogether satisfacto- 
ry, but was approved by the constitutional majori- 
ty of the Senate and by the President. Many cities 
and towns passed resolutions condemning it se- 
verely. It was, however, unanimously supported 
by the people of Wenham, not as being all that 
they desired, but as vastly preferable to a war. 
Time has vindicated the wisdom of their decision. 
The same year the town voted in favor of revising 
the Constitution of the State. 

For many years the alewife fishery upon Miles' 
river, was a matter of considerable importance, and 
many meetings were held for the purpose of re- 
moving obstructions to the ascent of the fish, and 
of regulating the mode of catching them. A com- 
mittee was first appointed for this object, in 1798, 
and was afterwards chosen annually, for many 
years. Two years later, it was voted, that these 
fish should only be caught with a seine, and on 
three days of the week, viz., Monday, Wednesday, 
and Friday, on penalty of $50, one-half to be paid 



92 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

to the town, and the other to go to the informant. 
A special resolve was passed against fishing on the 
Sabbath. 

In 1805, the dysentery was unusually prevalent 
and fatal, so that, in five weeks, from September 
15th to October 20th, eleven persons died of it, 
nine of them being children. 

In 1806, '' the privilege of ringing the bell and 
sweeping the meeting-house for one year ensuing," 
was let out to Jonas Cook, for $6,75. The collec- 
tion of taxes in the east ward of the town, was 
taken by John Hooker, at $1,18 on the $100 ; in 
the west ward it was taken by Caleb Kimball, at 
$1,49 for the same sum. 

Dec. 22, 1807, the embargo was passed, which 
was repealed two years after, and the non-inter- 
course act substituted in its stead. These acts 
bore very heavily upon the people of New Eng- 
land, a large part of whom subsisted by com- 
merce. In consequence of the distress thus occa- 
sioned, the Rev. Mr. Anderson addressed a letter 
to the town, remitting $50 a year, of his salary, 
one-half to the town, and half to individuals who 
were in need, or had suffered during the year, 
from sickness. For this act of delicate considera- 
tion the thanks of the town were publicly voted 
to Mr. Anderson. 

Political excitement run very high during this 
period, as is shown by the frequent meetings, and 
large votes which were cast. The Federal party 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 93 

was uniformly and largely predominant, and the 
measures of Congress, particularly the em- 
bargo and the war with England, were bitterly 
censured. A strong address upon the subject was 
adopted by the State Legislature, and formally ap- 
proved by the town. July 8, 1812, Hon. Timothy 
Pickering was chosen to attend a convention at 
Ipswich, " for the purpose of consulting upon the 
present awful and alarming situation of our coun- 
try, on account of the war declared by Congress 
against Great Britain, and of adopting all constitu- 
tional measures for the restoration of peace and 
free commerce, on which the well-being of the 
commonwealth essentially depends.'^ Dr. Daniel 
Kilbam, a resident of the town, was, for many 
years, an active and zealous politician of the Re- 
publican party, while the Hon. Timothy Pickering 
was equally active on the side of the Federalists. 
They often used to meet and sometimes held warm 
discussions upon public affairs. On one occasion, 
they commenced a debate respecting the war, after 
the close of the morning session of the annual town 
meeting, and continued it so earnestly as to forget 
their dinners and everything else. The by-stand- 
ers became so much interested that the afternoon 
session of the town meeting was given up, and the 
discussion continued till evening. Both parties 
were earnest and well-informed, and it must be ac- 
knowledged that there were really two sides to the 
questions discussed. As usually happens in such 



94 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

cases, neither party was able to convince the 
other, but the majority of those present, perhaps, 
from previous prejudices and opinions, sided with 
Mr. Pickering. In the evening his friends took 
him to the pubhc house, and gave him a supper, at 
which he made a speech of more than an hour, 
vigorously denouncing Congress and its favorite 
measures. 

But, although the people of "Wenham did not ap- 
prove of the war, yet as long as the country was 
engaged in it, they did their part as faithful and 
patriotic citizens. Many of them engaged in those 
privateering enterprises which were carried on so 
extensively by the people of Essex county, and 
which contributed so much to annoy and injure 
the commerce of the enemy. Others enlisted in 
the United States armies, and fought bravely in 
those hard-contested battles, which marked that 
short but severe struggle. The town even vot- 
ed, July 29, 1814, to hire men to enlist in the United 
States service, and appointed a committee for 
the purpose. That the burdens of the war were 
severely felt, appears from the smallness of the 
appropriations for schools, highways, c&c, during 
this period. Eev. Mr. Anderson voluntarily relin- 
quished $100 out of a salary of $500, during the 
continuance of the war. 

As Essex county was much exposed to assaults 
from the blockading squadrons of the British, es- 
pecial provisions were made to resist any attack. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 95 

Col. Porter, of Wenham, then commanded the Ip- 
swich regiment. Being asked by the General of 
his Brigade how soon he could get his men under 
arms if they were called for, he replied, in four 
hours. The General would not believe this possi- 
ble, but soon after an alarm came that the enemy 
had landed ; for the moment, of course, all was 
disorder and confusion ; but speedily every man 
seized his weapons, bade adieu to his wife and 
little ones, and within an hour the Wenham com- 
pany was ready to march for Salem, only one man 
being absent. News soon arrived that the alarm 
was false, and the soldiers were at once dismissed. 
The spirit showed upon this occasion proved that 
the fires of theRevolution were not yet wholly extin- 
guished. Soon after this, intelligence was received 
that the war w^as closed by the treaty of Ghent, 
and nowhere was peace more welcome than to the 
inhabitants of Wenham. Commerce again revived, 
manufactures continued to flourish, and the coun- 
try resumed its career of unexampled growth and 
prosperity. 

In 1820, the question of revising the Constitu- 
tion of the State, was agitated. It was opposed 
by the people of Wenham, but being supported by 
a majority of voters in the StatC; John T. Dodge, 
Esq., w^as chosen as a delegate to the convention 
held in the State House for this purpose. Most of 
the changes proposed by this convention were 
subsequently approved by the town, although sev- 



96 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

eral of tliem were passed by a close vote. The 
same year the town voted to accept a donation of 
$500 from Mr. Edmund Kimball, of Newburyport, 
a native ofWenham. for the purpose of aiding in 
the support of the gospel ministry, as the best 
means of promoting the present and future happi- 
ness of mankind, and the thanks of the town were 
officially returned to Mr. Kimball for his liberal 
and generous offer. 

About this time the subject of temperance began 
to occupy the minds of the people, and the old 
drinking usages of society were gradually done 
away. For several years, this was an exciting 
question in town affairs. At length, in 1825, a 
vote was obtained, that it was inexpedient that 
any licenses should be granted for the sale of ardent 
spirits for that year, and similar votes were passed 
in several succeeding years. In 1842, a yea and 
nay vote was taken as to the propriety and expe- 
diency of allowing the sale of intoxicating liquors, 
within the limits of the town, which resulted in 
three affirmative and fifty-four negative votes. A 
Temperance Society was formed, pledging first, ab- 
stinence from distilled liquors, and afterwards from 
everything that could intoxicate. For many years 
intemperance was rare, but of late, it seems to be 
again on the increase. The same year, the town 
voted to grant to the first parish in Salem, the 
privilege of erecting a monument to Hugh Peters, 
once pastor of that church, on condition that it 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 97 

should be done within three years. As the offer 
was not accepted within that time, the town sold 
its interest to Charles B. Lander, for the ice busi- 
ness. 

A portion of the surplus revenue of the United 
States being distributed to the town, in 1837, it 
was deposited with certain trustees, for three 
years, after which it was divided among the seve- 
ral districts, to aid in erecting and repairing 
school-houses. A committee from neighboring 
towns, viz., Elias Putnam, of Danvers, J. Safford, 
of Beverly, and Francis Bumham, of Essex, was 
appointed to divide the money among the dis- 
tricts. At the same time, 1840, the extreme east 
part of the town, which had hitherto been an ap- 
pendage of the Neck, was formed into a separate 
district. The privilege of setting their new 
school-house upon the common, was granted to 
the centre district for fifty years, with the right of 
passing to and from the same. 

A piece of land, amounting to about four acres, 
had been purchased by the town, for a parsonage, 
as long ago as 1725, and had been occupied by the 
successive ministers of the town. A vote was 
passed, empowering a committee, with the consent 
of the pastor of the Congregational Society, to sell 
this land, which was situated on the north side of 
the road to the Neck, where it turns off from the 
main county road, and to appropriate the proceeds 
for the use of the Society. The money thus re- 
9 



98 HISTORY OF ^YENHAM. 

ceived, with other funds and contributions, was 
invested in a parsonage. 

The want of a hall for public meetings, lectures, 
&c., had long been seriously felt by the people of 
Wenham. Town meetings had been held, first 
in the meeting-house, and then in the vestry, but 
it was felt that the former was not a suitable place, 
and the latter was too small to accommodate all 
who wished to attend. At length, in 1854, a vote 
was passed by seventy-nine yeas to sixty-one nays, 
to erect such a building, and Messrs. John Porter, 
C. A. Kilham, A. Dodge, F. Hadley, J. Cook, B. C. 
Putnam, and M. Mildram, were appointed a com- 
mittee " to erect a Town House, such, as in their 
judgment, the convenience, interests and wants of 
the town require, at an expense not exceeding 
$5,000." Thus authorized, the committee proceed- 
ed to fill up a pond hole, which had long defaced 
the common, and to erect upon the spot a building 
thirty-eight feet wide by fifty-four feet long on the 
outside of the frame, with a projection on the 
front, sixteen feet by twenty-five. It is two sto- 
ries in height, besides a large and convenient base- 
ment. On the first floor is a large and convenient 
school-room, with a recitation-room, dressing-room, 
and a room for the meetings of the selectmen. The 
second story is occupied by the Town Hall, with 
a small ante-room in the projection. The entire 
building is surmounted by a cupola, which afi*ords 
an extensive and beautiful view of the surrounding 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 99 

country. The hall is furnished with settees, and 
will seat three hundred and fifty to four hundred 
persons. This building is an ornament to the 
town. The convenience of its interior arrange- 
ments, and the neatness and even elegance which 
marks every part, are highly creditable to the com- 
mittee under whose superintendence it was built, 
as well as the architect who planned it, and the 
mechanics by whom the work was performed. On 
the whole, it is one of the finest and most conven- 
ient buildings for town purposes, in this part of 
the State. 

We close our review of the history of the town 
by giving a brief summary of its present condition. 
The population of Wenham, though never large, 
has of late years been gradually increasing, and is 
now supposed to number not far from eleven hun. 
dred persons. It is impossible to estimate with 
much accuracy, the number of inhabitants during 
the early periods of the history of the town. At 
the time of its incorporation in 1643, it may have 
been 150. In consequence of a part of the colony 
removing to Chelmsford, the population had 
probably increased but little at the settlement of 
Mr. Gerrish, in 1673. At his death, Jan. 6, 1720, 
there were said to be more than three times as 
many families in the place as at his ordination. 
The number of polls recorded in 1733, was 122 ; in 
1750, it was 110 ; 1760, 128 ; 1779, 118. From 
these data we may conclude that the population of 



loo HISTORY OF WENHAM. ' 

the town did not vary much from 500. In 1810, 
the census was 554 ; in 1820, 572 ; in 1830, 612 ; 
in 1840, 693 ; in 1850, 977 ; in 1855, 1073. Ac- 
cording to the census taken, June, 1857, the num- 
ber of voters is 228. 

The people of Wenham are occupied principally 
with agriculture and the manufacture of boots 
and shoes. In 1855, one hundred and twenty 
acres were planted with Indian corn, yielding, it is 
estimated, thirty bushels to the acre, and worth 
$3,600. Thirty-three acres were sown with various 
English grains, and producing crops valued at 
$1,040. There were seven hundred and eighty 
acres of English mowing, bearing five hundred and 
fifty-five tons of hay, worth $10,530, besides two 
hundred and twenty-six acres of meadow, yielding 
286 tons, valuedat $2,288. Of fruit, there were five 
thousand three hundred apple trees, worth $5,250, 
and three hundred pear trees, worth $275. There 
were also twenty acres of cranberry meadow, val- 
ued at $750 ; fifty-six acres were planted with po- 
tatoes, the crop of which was valued at $5,936. 
Of butter, 14,655 pounds were made, worth 
|3,663,75. Of milk, sold from the town, and of the 
value of vegetables, for marketing, dtc, raised here, 
no estimate was made. 

Of live stock, there were three hundred and fif- 
teen horses, worth $8,750 ; oxen and steers, seven- 
ty-six, worth $3,750 ; milch cows, two hundred and 
twenty-six ; heifers, fourteen, worth together, 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 101 

$7,500. Of sheep, there were thirty, producing 
seventy-five pounds of wool, and worth $100. It 
is manifest that many of the previous estimates are 
very low, and fail to give an adequate idea of the 
agricultural resources of the town. If, to the pre- 
vious sums, we add the value of fire-wood prepared 
for market, six hundred and fifteen cords, worth 
$3,000, we shall make the value of the aggregate 
productive industry from these sources, $27,058. 

The value of wagons, sleighs, and other vehicles 
made in town during that year, was estimated at 
$4,250. Of shoes, made for dealers in Danvers, 
and Lynn, there were two hundred and five cases ; 
value of work, $36,560 ; number of men employed, 
one hundred and sixty. Besides these, four thou- 
sand two hundred pairs of boots, and twenty-five 
thousand pairs of shoes were manufactured at an 
estimated value of $20,000, and employing forty- 
six males and twenty females. The ice establish- 
ment cuts annually about twenty-five thousand 
tons of ice, valued at $40,000. Of blacksmiths' 
shops, there are two, doing a business, valued at 
$2,500 per year. There are also two stores, the 
annual business of which may be estimated at 
$35,000. 

These statistics, taken from the oflScial report of 
the census for 1855, may not attain to absolute ac- 
curacy, yet they show, somewhere near, the pro- 
ductive industry of the place, and may be worth 
preserving for reference in future years. 
9* 



102 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

The following is a list of the representatives 
I'rom this town, to the General Court, from 1643 
to 1857. 

Joseph Batchelder, 1644 ; Mr. Sparrowhawk, 1645 ; Mr. Au- 
ditor, 1646 ; William Fisk, 1647 - '49 - '50 - 52 ; Esdras Reade, 
1648 — '50; Phineas Fisk, 1653; Charles Gott, 1654 -'66; 
John Fisk, 1669 -'81; Thomas Fisk, 1671- '72- '78 -'79- '80 
-'86 -'94 -97; Walter Fairfield, 1692 - 1700 ; John Newman, 
1698 -'99; William Fisk, 1701 -'04 -'11 -'13- '14 ; Thomas 
Patch, 1703 -'07; John Porter, 1712- '24- '26; Thomas Fisk, 
Jr., 1715; William Rogers, 1717 - '18 -'19 -'25 -'30; John 
Gott, 1720; William Fairfield, l723-'28 -'30-'32-'33 -'34- 
35- '36-'37-'38-'39-'40- '41; Samuel Kimball, 1729; 
Jonathan Porter, 1745 -'46- "47 ; John Dodge, 1755; Benja- 
min Fairfield, 1767- '74 -'75 -'76; Billy Porter, 1791 -'92; 
Samuel Blanchard, 1797- '98 -'99- 1803 - 1808 unanimous - 
'09 -'10; John Dodge, '11-'12-'13; P. Porter, 1815-'16- 
'17 -'18 -'28 -'29 -'30; Moses Foster, 1833 -'36 -37; John 
Porter, 1834 - '35 - '50; Benjamin Edwards, 1838 ; Andrew 
Dodge, 1839 -'40; Franklin Hadley, 1841; Joseph Cook, 
1842 ; Edmund Kimball, 1846 ; Amos Gould, 1848 ; Moses 
Mildram, 1851 ; Benjamin C. Putnam, 1853 ; Orin Mildram, 
1854. 

By a recent change in the Constitution of the 
State, Wenham, as a town, no longer sends a rep- 
resentative. It is now united with Beverly and 
Topsfield, into one district, which has the right of 
sending two representatives annually, to the Gene- 
ral Court. 

The following is a list of the Moderators of the 
annual town meeting, since 1700, previous to 
which, the Moderator's name is not usually given. 

Thomas Fisk, 1700 - '04 - '05 ; William Fisk, 1702 - '03 - '12 
-'13-'14; Walter Fairfield, 1 706 -'07 -'08 -'09 ; Thomas 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 103 

Fisk, Jr., 1710 -'ll-'20; William Fairfield, 1715-'16 - '33- 
'34-'35-'36-'39-'41 ; John Gott, 1717 -'18- '19; John Por- 
ter, 1723 - '24 - '27 - '28 - '29 ; Ephraim Kimball, 1725 ; Samu- 
el Kimball, 1733 - '38 - '40 - '42 - '43 ; John Dodge, 1744; 
Jona. Kimball, 1745-'47- '48 -'49 - '50- '51 - '53 - '54 - '5G - '57 
-'58, Samuel Gott, 1745; Samuel Rogers, 1752; Jona. Por- 
ter, 1755; Nathaniel Brown, 1758 -'59 -'60- '63- '68-'69- 
'70 -'71 -'72; Benjamin Kimball, 1761- '66; Josiah Fairfield, 
1762 -'64 -'65 -'73 -'74 -'77; Josiah Herrick, 1767; John 
Friend, 1775 -'76 -'78 -'79 -'81 -'84; Samuel Tarbox, 1780- 
'82-'83; Pelatiah Brown, 1785 -'86 -'93- '98 -1802 ; John 
Dodge, 1787 - '88 - '90 - 91 - '94 ; Tyler Porter, 1792 - '95 - '96 
-'97 -'99 -1803 -'04; Stephen Dodge, 1789; Samuel Blan- 
chard, 1800 - '01 - '05 - '06 - '07 - '09 - '10 - '1 1 - '12 - '13 ; Tim- 
othy Pickering, 1808; John T. Dodge, 1814-'15 -'17-18 - 
'19 -'20, Isaac Dodge, 1816; Paul Porter, 1821 -'22- '23 -24 
-'25 -'26 -'27 -'28 -'29 -'37 -'38 -'39 -'40; Andrew Dodge, 
1830 - '31 - '32 - '33 - '34 - '35 - '36 - '41 - '42 - '43 - '44 - '45 - 
'46 -'47 -'48- '49- '50 -'51 -'52- '53- '55-56; Eufus A. 
Dodge, 1854 -'59 ; Benjamin C. Putnam, 1857 ; S. Porter, 1859. 

The following persons have held the place of 
Town Clerk since its incorporation in 1643. 

William Fisk, 1643 -'60; Thomas Fisk, 1661 -'94; John 
Newman, 1695 -'96 -'97 -,98 -'99- 1700-01; Thomas Fisk, 
Jr., l702-'03- '05-'05; William Fairfield, l706-'07-'08- 
09 - '10 - '1 1 - '24 - '25 - '26 - '27 - '28 - '29 ; William Rogers, 
1712-'13-'14-'15 -'16-'l7-'18-'19-'20 - '21 - '22 - '23 - 
'31 - '32 - '33 - '34 - '35 ; Nathaniel Brown, 1 737 - '39 - '40 - '41 j 
John Gott, 1738 ; David Batchelder, 1742 - '43- '44 - '45 - '46 
'47; Jonathan Kimball, Jr., 1748- '49- '50- '51 - '52 -'53 -'59 
- '60 - '61 - '62 - '63 ; Samuel Goodrich, 1754 - '55 - '56 - '57 - 
'58 ; Edward Waldron, 1764 - '65 - '66 - '67 - '68 - '69 - '70 ; 
William Fairfield, 1771 - '72 ; Tyler Porter, 1773 - '74 - '75 - 
'77 - '81 -'82 - '83 ; John Orme, 1776 ; Richard Dodge, 1778 - 



104 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

'79 - '80 - '89 - '90 ; Stephen Dodge, 1784 - '85 - '86- '87 - '91- 
'92; John Dodge, Jr., 1793 - '94 - '95- '96 -'97- '98 -1808- 
'09 ; Joseph Fairfield, 1799 - 1800 - '01 - '02 - '03 - '04 - 05 - '06 
-'07; Paul Porter, 1809 -'10 -'11 -'12 - '13 -'14- '15 - '16 - 
'17 - '18 ; John T. Dodge, Jr„ 1819 - '20 - '21 - '22; Moses 
Foster, 1823 - '24 - '25 - '26 - '27 - '28 - '29 - '32 - '33 - '34 - 
35 - '36 - '37 - '38 - '39 : David Starrett, 1830 - '31 ; John Por- 
ter, 1840 - '41 - '42 - '43 - '44 - '45 - '46 - '47 - '48 ; Stephen 
Dodge, l849-'50-'51 ; John A. Putnam, 1852 -'53- '54 - '55 
-56; Benjamin C. Putnam, 1857 -'58 -'59. 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF WENHAM. 

The first settlers of New England were fully 
sensible of the necessity of education. Many of 
their number were men of higli attainments, and 
they early took measures to provide for their chil- 
dren and successors, advantages like those they had 
themselves enjoyed. Harvard College was estab- 
hshed within six years of the settlement of Boston, 
and all the towns in the colony were speedily 
called upon to contribute to its support. 

But the fathers of New England were not con- 
tented with providing for the education merely of 
the few, who were required for the different profes- 
sions, or for the service of the State. They ven- 
tured upon what was then a novel, and, as it was 
generally considered, a hazardous experiment. 
They aimed to make education universal. At the 
present time, when we see its fortunate results, we 
can hardly estimate the boldness of this undertak- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 105 

ing. Scarcely had tbey built houses to cover 
their heads, and planted corn enough to supply the 
immediate necessities of nature, when they pro- 
ceeded to make provision for the training of their 
children and youth. In 1642, the Legislature 
passed an act, that " the selectmen of every town, 
appointed for managing the prudential affairs of the 
same, should take accompt of the parents and mas- 
ters of their children, concerning the calling and 
the implement of their children, especially of their 
ability to read and understand the principles of re- 
ligion and the capital laws of the country." They 
were also required to see that the young were 
brought up to some trade or useful occupation ; 
and all parents who should fail in these first duties 
to their offspring, might be deprived of their chil" 
dren, w^ho should be apprenticed to others. 

The kind of education contemplated in this act^ 
was to be given at home, by parents and masters. 
In many parts of the province, schools were scarce 
and remote. Children, if they attended at all, 
were obhged to travel three or four miles, and that 
perhaps, in an unfavorable season of the year. In 
religious things the clergy were active in impart- 
ing instruction, and often assembled and catechised 
the children. Moreover, in their frequent pastoral 
visitations, they did not neglect the lambs of their 
flock. Many of them had acted as teachers before 
ordination, and it was not uncommon for them to 
combine secular Avith rehgious instruction, after 
they became pastors. 



106 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

The act of 1642 required that all should be edu 
cated, but did not provide the means for efiecting ; 
it. In 1647, therefore, it was further enacted, 
that, *^ It being one chief project of the old delud- 
er Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of the 
Scriptures, and that learning may not be buried in 
the graves of our forefathers, in the church and 
commonwealth, the Lord assisting our endeavors ; 
it is therefore ordered that every township in this 
jurisdiction, after the Lord hath increased it to 
the number of fifty householders, shall then forth- 
with appoint one within their town to teach all 
such children as shall resort to them, to write and 
read." The penalty for disobeying this act was 
£5, but was afterwards raised to XIO ; in 1683, to 
£20, and in 1718, to £30. This act is regarded as 
laying the foundation of the Massachusetts common 
school system. 

For many years after Wenham was settled, the 
immediate necessities of their new situation seem 
to have occupied all the thoughts and energies of 
the inhabitants. It was some time before the num- 
ber of householders increased so as to bring them 
within the provisions of the last-quoted statute. 
The early period of the history of the town was 
evidently a time of much privation. It was only 
with extreme difficulty that the people were able 
to meet the expenses of government and the sup- 
port of the gospel. We find no reference to any 
school till the close of the seventeenth century, or 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 107 

more than sixty years after the place was settled. 
Yet the inhabitants somehow contrived to obtain 
a considerable degree of education. The early 
records are marked by good sense and general 
correctness. The hand-writing, though sometimes 
obscure and often defaced by time, is creditable, 
and some of it really elegant. The signatures of 
the various deeds and contracts are usually in the 
writing of the subscribers. In one instance, where 
the signatures of forty-six of the commoners are 
given, only ten of the number were under the ne- 
cessity of making their mark. 

The style of these old documents is quaint and 
the spelHng strange to our eyes. But it must be 
remembered that the English language at that time 
was not fully formed. The grammar and orthogra- 
phy of that age differed considerably from ours. 
The same peculiarities of spelling and in the use of 
words, are found in the works of the best writers 
and scholars of those times. When these consid- 
erations are kept in mind, the perusal of the old 
records of the town cannot fail to give a very fa- 
vorable impression of the intelligence and good 
sense of those who wrote them. 

During the half century and more, that preceded 
the establishment of schools, children must have 
obtained their education mostly at home. Parents 
felt it as much their duty to instruct their children 
in the elements of learning as to teach them the 
means of gaining a livelihood. Books in those 



108 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 



I 



days were few and costly, while newspapers and 
the whole tribe of periodicals were wholly want- 
ing. But they all had one Book which they had 
learned to love and reverence, and which they as- 
siduously taught to their children. Not unlikely 
many of those whom we regard as rude and igno- 
rant, would far exceed their more favored descend- 
ants in familiarity with the Scriptures: They had 
no lack of men competent for the service of the 
Church and the State. And when we remember 
that the foundations of our free institutions were 
laid, and the elements of all our subsequent pros- 
perity and progress were developed and applied 
by the men of that generation, we must give them 
no small credit for liberal and enlightened views, 
as well as for practical wisdom. In this point of 
view, home education, when well performed, ap- 
pears to have been a very good thing after all. 

But in process of time Wenham increased and 
prospered, but still without a public school, till at 
last, in 1700, a complaint was made to the Court, 
against the town. The matter, of course, could 
not any longer be neglected. Two men were im- 
mediately appointed '^ to answer such presentment, 
on the town's behalf Meanwhile a school was at 
once estabhshed. Sept. 9, 1700, we find the fol- 
lowing record : '^ At a meeting of the selectmen, 
Capt. Thomas Fisk was appointed to keep a school 
in town, for the year ensuing, for the learning of 
children and youth to read and write ; and he be 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 109 

allowed by the town, his proportion of rates to 
county and town, for the year ensuing, from this 
time, besides what he shall have of those that he 
shall so learn to read and write." This action of 
the selectmen was confirmed by the town, in No- 
vember of the same year, and it was further voted, 
that '' if what the scholars shall pay for their learn- 
ing shall not be sufficient satisfaction for the mas- 
ter that shall keep such school, the selectmen are 
empowered to make such further satisfaction to 
said schoolmaster, as in equity and justice shall be 
convenient." 

Thus meagre is the only account that can now 
be obtained of the first school in Wenham. It was 
probably kept at the house of the teacher, or, pos- 
sibly, as w^as often customary, in the meeting- 
house. Of the length of time it was kept, or of 
the number of its scholars, we have no means of 
information. The old records, however, throw 
some light upon the character of the teacher. 
Nearly thirty years before he had been chosen to 
represent the town in the Legislature, and had 
been repeatedly re-elected to the same position. 
He had been, for more than twenty years, captain 
in " the trainband," no insignificant post in those 
days, and had been more concerned in town busi- 
ness than any other living inhabitant. At this time 
he must have been the patriarch of the place, and 
it shows conclusively, the high estimation in which 
education was held, when such a man was appoint- 
10 



110 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

ed schoolmaster. He seems to have continued in 
charge of the school for several years, " receiving 
reasonable satisfaction for his pains/' and, we 
doubt not, from the intelligence and good sense of 
the men trained under him, that he was a faithful 
and successful teacher. Wenham has certainly no 
reason to be ashamed of its first schoolmaster. 

Capt. risk was succeeded as teacher by William 
Rogers, who also subsequently attained to the dig- 
nity of captain, was actively employed in town af- 
fairs, and appears to have enjoyed the esteem and 
confidence of his fellow-citizens. For many years 
he ofiiciated as town clerk, and the neatness of his 
penmanship as well as the correctness of the 
records, speak well for the faithfulness and general 
ability of their author. 

It is difficult to say what wages were paid for 
teaching in those days. From occasional notices 
it appears that the scholars used each to pay about 
sixpence a term ; besides which the selectmen used 
to allow what they called " reasonable satisfac- 
tion." In 1713, an agreement was made with Wm. 
Rogers, ^' to keep school in our town, to teach the 
youth to read and write, and to sweep the meeting- 
house, and ring the bell for the year, and we do 
allow him 55s. for his allowance." 

There seems to have been but one school in 
town till 1719, when, besides the one taught by 
Mr. Rogers, arrangements were made for a second, 
under Mr. Daniel Dodge, and these two men con- 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. Ill 

tinued to officiate as teachers for several subse- 
quent years. Mr. Dodge was, for many years, one 
of the most prominent and respected citizens of the 
place, and extensively engaged in town affairs. In 
1729, he was chosen one of the deacons of the 
church, which place he filled acceptably till his 
death. The name of Nathaniel Rogers occurs as 
teacher, first in 1726. In 1733, he was made a 
kind of educator-general for the town. An agree- 
ment Avas made with him by the selectmen, ^' to 
keep a writing and reading school for the year en- 
suing ; and whereas it is impracticable for all the 
children to come together in one place, it is cove- 
nanted and agreed that he be allowed to teach little 
children to read by suitable women, in the several 
parts of the town, that he shall agree with, by the 
approbation of the selectmen ; also to teach to 
write by another man, in another part of the town." 
This is the earliest account of the employment of 
females in the business of education. 

In 1734, it was voted by the town, that our pres- 
ent Representative, Mr. William Fairfield, " be di- 
rected and empowered to present a petition to the 
General Court, for a grant of some land belonging 
to the province, to enable the town better to sup- 
port a schooL" It.was a frequent practice for the 
Legislature in those times to make grants of land 
for the establishment of institutions of a higher 
grade than common schools. Many academies, 
^n which young men were fitted for college, and 



112 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

others instructed in the higher branches of an Eng- 
lish education, were founded in this way. It was 
probably in reference to an institution of this kind 
that the present petition was offered, for the town 
already had two or three common schools, and had 
no difficulty in supporting them. Had the grant 
been obtained and such a school been established, 
there is no estimating the good effects it must have 
produced, not only on Wenham, but on the towns 
around. 

In 1739, it was voted to raise X30 for supporting 
the public schools. This was the first appropria- 
tion by the town, for the purpose, and when com- 
pared with what was paid a few years before, it 
appears quite liberal ; but it must be remembered 
that the currency was somewhat depreciated. 

The sphere of pubhc instruction was enlarged in 
1742, so as to include " cyphering," in addition to 
the branches taught, as appears from the record of 
an agreement with Mr. Jonathan Perkins, Nov. 30, 
1742, " to keep a school in our town, to teach our 
children to read, write and cypher, six months 
from date." Arithmetic has ever since maintained 
its place in our public schools. The following is a 
specimen of the certificates given in those times, to 
teachers. " Jan. 14, 1743. Mr., Jonathan Perkins 
having been agreed with to keep a school in our 
town for six months, we being well satisfied of his 
ability for that service, and his sober and good con- 
versation, do approbate the said Jonathan Perkins 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 113 

to keep a school in our town, for the time agreed 
on, he continuing in such conversation." Remem- 
bering the influence -which the teacher must al- 
ways exert over the morals as well as the minds of 
his pupils, they were anxious to secure one who 
should teach by the correctness of his example as 
well as by precept. 

The care of the schools was left mostly to the 
selectmen. They hired the teacher and determined 
the length of the school, and the place where it 
should be kept. It was not till 1772, that a com- 
mittee was appointed, especially to take charge of 
the schools, nor was it done habitually, till consid- 
erably later. The wages paid to teachers varied 
very much with the state of the currency, but it 
was generally worth from $4 to $8 a month, beside 
board. 

In 1746, Mrs. Elizabeth Kimball was ^^ approved 
of and approbated to keep school in our town, to 
teach children and youth to read and write, she 
having behaved in sober conversation." This ap- 
pears to have been the first instance in which a fe- 
male teacher was employed by the town. 

Three different schools continued to be support- 
ed in different sections of the town, and separate 
teachers employed for them, until the year 1770, 
when it was voted, that ^' a grammar school be con- 
stantly kept in this town, the year ensuing, and 
that provision be made for the support of the 



10* 



114 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

be chosen to provide a schoolmaster, and to appor- 
tion said school, according to the tax in this 
town." This school, which seems to have been 
removed from district to district, as occasion re- 
quired, was continued for several years. In 1779, 
it was taught by Rev. Mr. Swain, in addition to his 
pulpit and pastoral labors. For this service he re- 
ceived, in the depreciated currency of the times, 
£300, which might have been worth $50. In 1780, 
£1,500 were raised for the support of schools; but 
when we remember that £75 of this " continental 
paper" was worth only £1 of hard money, this sum 
will not appear so extravagant. The old system o^ 
having three schools, and dividing the money for 
them equally among the districts, was resumed in 
1782. After the Revolution, the amount of school 
money raised for many years, was £30, or $100 
annually. In 1798, it was $200 ; in 1812, $250 ; in 
1828, $300; in 1838, it was further increased to 
$400. Besides these appropriations, $10 to $20 
were annually raised for supporting a school in the 
extreme east part of the town, the children of 
which had also the privilege of attendance at the 
Neck. Since 1840, this section of the town has 
been formed into a new district, and received its 
share with the rest, in all the appropriations of the 
town. 

In 1806, a vote was passed ^' that the selectmen 
and the committee, chosen in each school ward for 
procuring schoolmasters for the time being, shall 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 115 

be a committee for the purpose of visiting schools 
with Rev. R. Anderson, for the better manage- 
ment of schools agreeable to law." Since 1817, 
the general superintendence of the schools has 
been entrusted to a committee annually chosen by 
the town for the purpose. This committee were 
instructed in 1822, to prepare a series of rules 
"for the better examining and governing the sev- 
eral schools. These rules were approved in town 
meeting, and entered at length upon the records. 
They specify the studies taught in the schools, viz.: 
reading, speUing, defining, writing, grammar, arith- 
metic, and geography, and prescribe the mode of 
examination in each. Much importance is also at' 
tached to moral and religious instruction, to regu- 
lar and punctual attendance, and to training in 
good manners. The school committee were in- 
structed in 1851, to prepare and cause to be print- 
ed for general distribution, a summary of the laws 
of the State respecting education, and also such 
particular rules as they judged essential for the 
benefit of the schools in town. These regulations 
were approved by the town, and have since con- 
tinued to constitute the school code. 

The annual reports of the school committee 
have, for many years, been of great utility, in 
keeping before the people, the condition and wants 
of our public schools, and thus exciting and main- 
taining a general interest in the cause of education. 
They also furnish a body of useful information re- 



116 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

spectiDg the history and state of the schools at va- 
rious periods. Had we a series of such reports, 
extending back to the settlement of the town, we 
could hardly estimate their value and interest. 
But unfortunately the history of our public schools 
has to be made up from the detached hints and 
brief notices, which happen to be preserved in 
the early records. 

By the returns of the year 1859, it appears that 
the number of children within the town, between 
the ages of five and fifteen years, was two hundred 
and thirty. The total number of pupils in the 
summer schools, was one hundred and fifty-eight; 
in the winter schools, two hundred and thirty, 
the average attendance for the year, being one 
hundred and sixty. The present year, 1859-'60 
$800 have been appropriated by the town, for pub- 
lic education, besides $48 received from the • State 
school fund. The course of instruction has also 
been considerably lengthened by private schools, 
which have been taught in some of the districts. 

The school-houses of the town, five in number, 
were built before public attention was directed, as 
it has recently been, to the improved construction 
of these buildings. They have, however, been re- 
paired, and are well arranged and in a good condi- 
tion. 

Massachusetts has always regarded her system 
of public and universal education with peculiar 
favor. Commenced in the infancy of the State, 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 117 

and ever nourished with assiduous care, it has ac- 
quired, and is likely to retain a strong hold upon 
the hearts of the people. Its object is to provide 
for all, the means of obtaining an education suffi- 
cient to make them useful, intelligent, and respect- 
able citizens. But this end can only be obtained 
by constant care and vigilance. Laws, and school- 
committees, and even teachers, can accomplish but 
little without the aid and co-operation of parents 
and guardians. The intellectual as well as the 
moral character of the child is mainly determined 
by home influences. If stimulated and encouraged 
by parents and friends to improve every opportu 
nity for acquiring useful knowledge, children will 
seldom fail to make progress at school. But if 
they meet with only coldness and indifference at 
home, the best teachers and the best instruction 
will accomplish but little. In no other way can 
the present exert so direct and so efficient an influ- 
ence in shaping and moulding the character of fu- 
ture generations, as in the education of children 
and youth. From our public schools are to come 
forth the men who must soon occupy the promi- 
nent positions of social and public life, and carry 
on the machinery of the world. What shall be the 
future character of the people of Wenham, for en- 
terprize, intelligence and morality, depends mainly 
upon the influences exerted in the education of the 
rising generation. In view of these things, let 
every parent, every patriot, and every good citizen 



118 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

take a deep and lively interest in the prosperity of 
our public schools. Let them provide neat and 
comfortable school-houses, as well as competent 
and faithful teachers ; let them visit and inspect 
the school in which their children are laying the 
foundation for an immortal future. The old monks 
had a method of erasing ancient writings from 
parchment, and substituting others as they chose. 
But no art, no device, can wholly erase from the 
mind of the child the characters early impressed 
upon it. 

The town of Wenham once had a public library, 
which no doubt had considerable influence in dif- 
fusing information and a taste for reading, among 
the people. Like other libraries, however, its vol- 
umes became old and worn, and as no funds were 
provided for obtaining new works, its contents be- 
came scattered and much reduced, and what few 
remained were finally disposed of. Within a few 
months an association has been formed for the 
purpose of purchasing new and standard works, as 
they may issue from the press. A small but select 
library has thus been formed, of about one hun- 
dred volumes, which we trust may yet be the nu- 
cleus of a large and valuable collection. 

We know of no way in which a liberal, patriotic 
and philanthropic citizen could do more for his na- 
tive town, than in making a donation for, we will 
not say a large, but a select and well-chosen library. 
Wenham has several sons who might do this, and 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 119 

thus lay tbe people of the town under lasting obli- 
gations, without their feeling the slightest incon- 
venience from what they had given. Danvers has 
been nobly endowed by the princely generosity of 
one of its sons, and Beverly, yet more recently, has 
procured an excellent library by subscription 
among its citizens. We do not anticipate so great 
things for Wenham, but we think that any one, 
who would give five hundred or even one hundred 
choice books, would be conferring a benefit of in- 
calculable value on the place. In a town like this, 
there are often j^oung men of active minds but 
limited advantages, to whom access to such a libra- 
ry would be worth more than its entire cost. 
Many a restless spirit might be saved from a career 
of vice, perhaps from ruin, disgrace and prison, by 
pre-occupying his mind with a taste for useful and 
instructive reading. An amount of intelligence 
and general information might thus be diffused 
through the community, such as can hardly be es- 
timated. Will not some one be public-spirited 
enough to take the lead in this good cause, and 
thus secure the lasting gratitude of his fellow-citi- 
zens ? 

During several winters lyceums have been or- 
ganized, and courses of lectures delivered by vari- 
ous distinguished writers and speakers. Within 
the last two years there has been a debating club, 
and thus far it has been well sustained. Every ju- 
dicious enterprize of this kind is deserving of gen* 



12D HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

eral and cordial support. It was in institutions 
of this kind that many of the leading spirits of the 
present age received their first impulse and early 
training. They foster intellectual activity, and fur- 
nish the youthful mind with subjects for thought 
and motives for thinking. They also furnish dur- 
ing the long winter evenings, a source of amuse- 
ment at once interesting and profitable. Such in- 
stitutions, when properly conducted, often become 
a source of benefit, not only to those who are im- 
mediately engaged in them, but also to the com- 
munity in which they exist. 

The want of a higher education than is 
furnished by our common schools has been at 
times seriously felt by the people of Wenham. 
So long ago as 1810, the town voted to grant 
to '^ the subscribers, for an academy, the privi- 
lege of setting the same on the common, in 
said town, during their pleasure." The attempt, 
however, to establish this institution, appears to 
have been a failure, and those who were anxious to 
enjoy such advantages were 'compelled to resort to 
neighboring towns. Of late years a private school 
has been several times attempted in the vestry, 
but with much inconvenience from the want of a 
suitable room. To provide a suitable place for 
such a school, was an inducement to the erection of 
the present Town House. A large and conve 
nient room was there fitted up, and furnished with 
the necessary apparatus for instruction. A school 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 121 

was here opened, in 1854; by Mr. C. L. Edwards, a 
graduate of the Westfield Normal School. After re 
mainiiig in Wenham, about a year, Mr. E. removed 
to Kansas, and his place was soon after assumed by 
Mr. Francis M. Dodge, a native of Wenham, and a 
graduate of Waterville College. Mr. Dodge con- 
tinued his school for two years, and with a good 
degree of success. More recently the school-room 
has been engaged by the third district, [and occu- 
pied by the grammar school. During the intermis- 
sions of the latter, a school for instruction in the 
higher branches, has been kept most of the time. 
We hope for the interests of the town that an in- 
stitution of this kind may yet be established and 
receive a liberal and permanent support. Our com- 
mon schools are valuable and important, but they 
can never do the work of this school. Crowded as 
they usually are, their teachers can have but little 
time to impart instruction in the higher branches 
of study, without neglecting the younger pupils. 
In such a town as this, there is always a sufficient 
number of young people, with those who will 
come from adjoining towns, to support such a 
school generously, and the influence of such an in- 
stitution in promoting intelligence, and improving 
the character of our people, and in making Wen- 
ham a desirable place of residence to families from 
abroad, can hardly be estimated. The character of 
our common schools will always be found to rise 
or fall according to the state of the schools above 
11 



122 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

them. There is no surer mode of diffusing intelli- 
gence among the masses, than to provide and sup- 
port the higher institutions of learning. 



FIRE DEPARTMENT. 

The first provision for extinguishing fires was 
made by a vote of the town, in 1821, " That the 
selectmen procure six ladders and three fire-hooks, 
for the use of the town, to be equally divided 
among the three separate districts. In 1835, a fire 
company of twenty-five members was organized, of 
which Franklin Hadley was chosen foreman, and 
Rufus A. Dodge secretary and treasurer. The 
same year the town voted to raise $100 to build 
an engine house and to procure the necessary ap- 
paratus. An engine costing $200, was purchased 
by subscription. This company continued in effi 
cient operation for several years, but was at length 
disbanded, and the engine sold. 

In 1849, the fire department was re-organized 
and established on a new and efiicient basis. A 
new engine was purchased, towards which the sum 
of $900 was furnished by the town. A new and con- 
venient engine house was also erected, and all the ap- 
paratus essential for the successful operation of the 
machine, was procured. The company, which at 
first contained forty-eight members, was organized 
by the choice of B. C. Putnam, foreman, and J. H. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 123 

Felt, treasurer and clerk. It has since been con- 
tinued in successful operation, and on one occasion 
has been the means of preventing what might have 
proved a serious fire. It has always enlisted the 
sympathies and good will of the citizens in general, 
and of the ladies in particular. By the latter, an 
elegant banner was presented to the company, 
Sept. 25, 1850, which was received and acknowl- 
edged in an appropriate address by the foreman. 
The company then repaired to the lake, and with 
their friends and invited guests partook of a boun- 
tiful collation provided for the occasion. On the 
same day a silver trumpet was presented by the 
company, as a token of their confidence in the skill 
and fidelity of their gallant foreman, Mr. B. C. Put- 
nam. Every thing passed off pleasantly and to the 
satisfaction of all concerned, showing that firemen 
may be honorable and high-minded gentlemen, and 
not the mere machines, nor the factious and quar* 
relsome rowdies, which they are sometimes consid- 
ered. 



PROFESSIONS. 

I AM not aware that Wenham has ever been hon- 
ored by being the residence of a practising lawyer. 
The inhabitants have always been of a peaceful 
character, and lawsuits have been seldom known 
among them. 

The history of the medical profession is almost 



124 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

as soon told. Rev. John Fisk, the first minister, 
had been educated as a physician, and was thus ca- 
pable of attending to the wants at once of the 
body and the soul. After his departure, the town 
remained for more than a century without a physi- 
cian, being supplied from the adjoining towns. 
About the year 1763, the name of Dr. Isaac Spof- 
ford appears among the residents of the place, but 
he seems to have soon left. Tyler Porter, Esq., 
was educated as a physician, and was for many 
years a citizen of the town, but, for some reason, 
never practised his profession. His son, Tyler 
Porter, Jr., studied medicine and settled in Newbu- 
ry, but died much lamented, at the early age of 
twenty-six. Dr. Wm. Fairfield, son of Benj. Fair- 
field, and a native of Wenham, was a distinguished 
physician and surgeon in the French war. After 
the close of the war, he returned to his native town 
and resumed the practice of his profession. He 
lived on the place now occupied by Mr. "Wm. Por- 
ter. His business soon increased so much and 
became so extensive in Beverly, and even Salem, 
that he at length removed to the latter city, where 
he became distinguished for his skill and success, 
and acquired a large and lucrative practice. He 
died of smallpox, Oct. 10, 1773, at the age of forty- 
two. A highly complimentary notice of him ap- 
peared in the Essex Gazette"^ of that date, which 
speaks in the highest terms of his proficiency, skill, 

* For the use of this paper I am icdebted to Dr. John Porter, 
whose mother was a daughter of Dr. Fairfield . 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 125 

and success in the medical art, and of the excel- 
lence of his private character. Obituary notices 
of this character were far more rare and significant 
in those days than they now are. 

Dr. Barnard Tucker, was a son of the minister of 
Newbury. He graduated at Harvard College, in 
1789, and afterwards practised several years in 
Beverly. Subsequently he removed to Wenham, 
and lived upon the place now occupied by Mr. 
Charles Brown. He was well versed in the 
French and Spanish languages, in which he was 
much employed as an instructor. His profession 
seems never to have engrossed very much of his 
time or attention."^ He had a kind heart, and was 
remarkable for gentleness of disposition, and sim- 
plicity of manners. Ultimately he removed to his 
native place, where he is supposed to have died. 

In 1826, a vote was passed at a regular town 
meeting, that the selectmen be a committee to wait 
on Dr. Samuel Dodge, and invite him to settle 
among them as a physician and surgeon. This 
was certainly a high compliment to pay to one 
who was a native of the town, and well known to 
most of its inhabitants. In accordance with this 
request, Dr. Dodge soon after took up his resi- 
dence in Wenham, where he practised his profes- 
sion with general satisfaction, until his death, Oct. 
30, 1833, at the age of forty-four. 

* A bill of his, charging 2s. Qd. for two professional visits to his 
mother, has been shown to me, by Col. Porter. 

11* 



126 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

Soon after the death of Dr. Dodge, Dr. Nathan 
Jones commenced the practice of his profession in 
Wenham, where he remained until his removal to 
Beverly, in April, 1858. 

The author of this history, a graduate of Yale 
College, of the class of 1852, and subsequently of 
the Pennsylvania Medical College at Philadelphia, 
commenced the practice of medicine in this town, 
July, 1855. 



THE BURIAL GROUND. 

The small eminence lying near the main road 
from Wenham to Beverly, and a little to the north 
of the lake, was probably appropriated as a place 
of burial, at the first settlement of the town. In- 
scriptions on grave stones, erected as early as the 
beginning of the last century, can still be deci- 
phered, while others, covered with moss and crum- 
bling with age, belong to a period still more an- 
cient. The number of deaths within the town, 
since its settlement, would probably exceed two 
thousand, or nearly twice its entire present popu- 
lation. A few of these have been buried in tombs 
or private grounds, and a considerable number 
from the east part of the town, have been carried 
to the grave-yard in Dodge's Row, a little south of 
the Beverly line. But much the larger portion 
have doubtless been buried in the ground we have 
just described. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 127 

No account has been preserved of the choice or 
dedication of the spot. As early as 1750, a com- 
mittee T\'as appointed " to settle the boundaries of 
the burial-place, with the neighboring proprietors, 
and in order hereunto, applied themselves to the 
town books for some record or grant made to the 
town, but could find none." An arrangement of 
the boundaries was accordingly made by a special 
committee, and the whole suitably enclosed. A 
piece of land adjoining the old ground, on its 
northerly side, was given to the town by the late 
Dea. Nathaniel Kimball, and here most of those 
who have recently died, have been buried. Every 
part of the older portion of the ground has been 
so taken up that scarcely a single spot can now be 
found unoccupied. 

More recently, several acres have been purchas- 
.ed, upon the hill which Hes east of the present 
burial-ground, and laid out in lots to suit the con- 
venience of purchasers. When these grounds are 
fitted up and ornamented as we trust they will be, 
few country toAvns will have cemeteries more at- 
tractive than Wenham. 

It is only within a few years that public atten- 
tion has been directed to the subject of adorning 
the last resting-places of the dead. In former 
times, the grave-yard was often selected for its 
sterility, and worthlessness for every other pur- 
pose. Some barren and desolate spot was usually 
chosen, without a tree to shade it, or a flower to 



128 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

adorn it, and where all surrounding objects were 
fitted to inspire only terror and gloom. Our an- 
cestors in Wenham, whether from a better taste or 
by accident, were more fortunate in their selec- 
tion, and though but little care has been taken for 
the arrangement and decoration of the grounds 
the locality and the objects by which it is sur- 
rounded are well suited to cherish that spirit of 
thoughtful and pensive meditation which we natu" 
rally feel in visiting the resting-places of the de- 
parted. The quiet stillness of the spot, the peace- 
ful beauty of the neighboring fields and hills, with 
occasional glimpses of the tranquil lake, mirrored 
in soft repose, unite to make the spot almost the 
ideal of a rural burial-ground, as happily described 
by the poet : — 

" How sweet the scene around me now, 
A little cluirch-yard on the brow 
Of a green, pastoral hill ; 
Its sylvan village sleeps below, 
While faintly near is heard the flow 
Of the soft, summer's rill ; 
A place where all things mournful meet, 
And yet the sweetest of the sweet, 
The stillest of the still. " 

Among the points of particular interest, are the 
graves of the village pastors, five of whom lie bu- 
ried in a row, near the centre of the ground, while 
two, Messrs. Newman and Gerrish, lie in another 
part of the yard. The monument over the grave 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 129 

of Mr. Gerrish, is a large, horizontal slab of sand- 
stone; placed on the spot by a vote of the town, 
more than sixty years after his death. Unfortu- 
nately, on account of the crumbling and unsub- 
stantial nature of the stone, the inscription, which 
is in Latin, has become almost illegible. Mr. Ger- 
rish was, for nearly fifty years, the minister of the 
town, and, perhaps, more than any other man, has 
left his mark upon its character. Near his grave 
is one which is supposed to be that of Rev. Anti- 
pas Newman, the second pastor of the church, who 
died Oct. 15, 1672. No stone appears to have been 
erected over his grave. Thus out of twelve pas- 
tors who have been settled over the church in 
Wenham, during a period of [two hundred and fif- 
teen years, seven have died among their own peo- 
ple, and their graves are with us to this day. 

Among the oldest monuments yet standing, are 
those of Sarah, wife of Walter Fairfield, who died 
Dec. 18, 1710 ; Ruth, wife of Thomas White, died 
1713, aged 80 ; Sarah and Skipper Balch, who 
both died in 1714. A series of small stones, with 
half legible inscriptions, tells of the afllictions of 
John and Martha Gott, whose entire flimily of three 
sons and two daughters, was swept away between 
Oct. 29th and Dec. 5, 1737. Their names and 
years alone are recorded, without any expression 
of repining or even of sorrow ; it was a grief too 
deep for tears. 

It is interesting to trace the changes in the form 



130 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

and structurGj as well as in the inscriptions upon 
the monuments of the dead. The earliest stones 
were simply slabs of slate, of small size, and re- 
cording only the name and age of the departed. A 
little later, we find rude sculptures of angels, and 
Time with his hour-glass and scythe. Another age 
adds the urn and weeping willow, while more re- 
cently, these are replaced by wreaths and garlands, 
and other delineations of fancy. The rude slate 
has given place to the polished marble, and the 
brief record of the names and years of the deceas- 
ed, has been too often succeeded by far-fetched 
quotations, or elaborate eulogy. 

The burial of the dead has been practised among 
all nations, and some memorials of the departed 
have usually been erected even by savages. The 
Indian will often travel hundreds of miles from his 
way, to visit the graves of his ancestors. There is 
engraven, as it were, upon the heart of man, the 
feeling that the dead have not wholly ceased to 
live, and hence the desire to guard their remains 
from irreverent approach, and to preserve their 
memory among the living. The grounds, the mon- 
uments, the inscriptions, should all speak the deep, 
underlying sentiment of humanity upon the solemn 
subject of death. The thoughts and feelings ex- 
pressed, should be those of pious trust and humble 
resignation. In general, there are no epitaphs like 
short and appropriate passages of Scripture, ex- 
pressive of faith, of confidence in God, and of a 
hope of a joyful resurrection. 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 131 

The grounds and all connected with the spot 
should breathe those soothing and tranquillizing in- 
fluences, with which nature steals into our hours of 
sadness. It should be a spot attractive to the liv- 
ing; lovely, for its floral beauty, and grateful for 
its pleasant shades, as well as sacred for the relics 
it contains. Here the passions which agitate the 
breast in the strife and bustle of life, are hushed to 
rest. Here the mourner's grief may lose half its 
bitterness, till resignation springs as naturally from 
the grave, as the wild flowers that overspread the 
turf by which it is covered. The wild passions 
are subdued, the emotions controlled and repressed 
in the solemn presence of death. Hither young 
and old may retire in thoughtful moments, to es- 
cape^the din of selfish strife, to open their hearts 
to the holiest impressions, and to catch some faint 
glimpses of the world to come. Thus the thought- 
less as well as the sad, the gay as well as the . 
mournful, are drawn into the circle of sacred inspi- 
rations, and find their spirits touched with the 
finest and purest emotions. And thus may a mu- 
tual relationship spring up between the burial 
ground and the walks of common life, till death it- 
self becomes an accepted and a powerful element 
in the experience and discipline of the world. 

A private burial-ground, for the members and 
connections of the Fairfield family, appears to have 
been very early laid out upon a knoll at a little dis- 
tance from the place formerly occupied by them. 



132 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

This family, once so prominent, have long since left 
the place, and this spot has been, in consequence, 
neglected and allowed to be overrun with briers 
and brushwood. Here is a tomb in a dilapidated 
state, in which many members of this ancient fami- 
ly were doubtless interred. Several grave-stones 
upon the side of the little hill, indicate to the in- 
frequent visitor, the spot where some fellow-mor- 
tal lies sleeping. On the summit of the hill is a 
large slate slab with the following inscription : — 

Here lies buried ye body 
of the Honorable 

WILLIAM FAIRFIELD, Esq., 

sometime Speaker 

of the House of Representatives; 

and for many years 

a Deacon of ye Church 

in Wenham, and 

Representative for sd Town, 

who died Deer 18, 1742, 
in ye 81st year of his age. 

And this is all that now remains, and almost all 
that can now be known of one who, in his day, 
filled so conspicuous a place in the affairs of his 
native town and State. I lately visited the spot 
and found the head-stone so overspread with ivy 
that it could hardly be discovered, amidst the 
shrubs and weeds by w^hich it was surrounded. 
Thus time hurries us onward, and in the lapse of 
only a few years confounds the great and the small, 
the wise and the foolish, in one undistinguishable 
decay."^ 

* If this little volume should reach any of the surviving members 
of this once prominent family, it may remind them of their ances- 
tors, and of the spot where they lie almost unnoticed and forgotten. 



PEESONAL AND FAMILY HISTORY. 



It is not my purpose here, to go into any ex- 
tended genealogical researches. The labor and 
overpowering tediousness of such a task can only 
be known to those who have been engaged in simi- 
lar investigations. Still, a short account of some 
of the old families which have figured in the histo- 
ry of the place, may, perhaps, be not without inter- 
est. 

The most prominent name among the first set- 
tlers of the town was that of Fisk. Rev. John 
Fisk, who came from the county of Suffolk, in Eng- 
land, was the first minister of the place. As the 
parish of Wenham, in England, lies in the same 
county, it is not unlikely that the name of the town 
was taken from the original residence of this fami- 
ly. Rev. Mr. Fisk, after a residence of twelve 
years in Wenham, removed to Chelmsford, where 
he died. Besides him, three others, (probably 
brothers) of the name of Fisk, were among the 
original settlers, and did not leave with the colony 
12 



134 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

that removed to Chelmsford. They appear to have 
been men of property, and acted an important part 
in the infant settlement. Phineas and John Fisk 
were two of the first board of selectmen, and Wm. 
Fisk was the first town clerk. From the frequen- 
cy with which the name occurs in the early records 
of baptisms, the descendants of the family appear 
to have been numerous, and for a hundred years 
or more, they acted a prominent part in town af- 
fairs. Three of them, at different periods, held the 
office of deacon of the church. Out of thirty-five 
times that the town sent a deputy to the General 
Court, before 1720, it was represented twenty 
times by some one of this name. The first school- 
master and the first commander of the militia, ap- 
pointed in Wenham, was Capt. Thomas Fisk, who, 
for a period of twenty or thirty years, appears to 
have been the most important man in the town. 
As early as 1655, he Avas appointed town clerk, and 
two-pence granted to him for every order he 
should record. The first book of the town records 
is mostly in his hand-writing, which is not quite as 
legible as that of the best writing masters. He 
was a prominent actor in the series of measures 
which resulted in the- division of the common 
lands. There continued to be several of the name 
in the place, until the latter part of the last centu- 
ry, when it was reduced to a single family, and 
more recently, it has become almost extinct. Sev- 
eral farms have been at different times, in posses- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 135 

sion of the family. The place however, where 
they lived longest, and which is the most identi- 
fied with their name, was on a lane leading from 
the Ober place, (so called,) towards Wenham cause- 
way. An old cellar alone remains to mark the 
spot, where generations lived, labored, and passed 
away. 

Another conspicuous name in the early records 
is that of the Gott family. Charles Gott was the 
only one of the first settlers who was honored 
with the title of Mr. After the removal of Rev. 
John Fisk, he was appointed, in conjunction with 
James Moulton, to procure a minister, and when 
the church was re-organized, under Mr. Newman, 
in 1663, his name stands next to that of the pastor. 
He was also a member of the first board of select- 
men chosen by the town, and he repeatedly served 
as representative to the General Court. The fam- 
ily continued to act a prominent part in town af- 
fairs, until the time of the Revolution, when those 
of them who remained, appear to have left the 
place. Tradition says that they were tanners, and 
that their tan-yard, which stood on the north side 
of the road to Danvers, and a little west of the 
house now occupied by Mr. Joseph Kent, was 
once the largest in Essex county. Many stones, 
inscribed with their names, are still standing in the 
burial-ground. The entire family of Mr. John 
Gott, consisting of five children, were swept away 
in 1737, within a few weeks of each other. 



136 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

The name is still common at Eockport, Glouces- 
ter and other places in Essex county. But here in 
their original seat, none survive to perpetuate their 
remembrance. 

No name is more conspicuous in the first centu- 
ry and a half of the history of the town, than that 
of the Fairfield family. John Fairfield, the first of 
the family, died Dec. 22, 1646, leaving two sons, 
Walter and Benjamin. The inventory of his es- 
tate, as returned by Ehzabeth, his wife, was <£113 
35. Id. — a large estate for those days. In 1692 
and 1700, Walter Fairfield served as representative 
to the General Court, the first time, with the con- 
dition that he was to have two shillings a day for 
his salary, and bear his own expenses. 

His son, the Hon. William Fairfield, was, for 
many years, a useful and highly respected citizen. 
In 1723, he was chosen to represent the town in 
the Legislature, to which he was again chosen in 
1732, and he continued to be re-elected, as it is 
stated in the records, " by a great majority," ten 
times in succession, until his death, in 1742. Nor 
were his talents appreciated only by his own 
townsmen. He was chosen Speaker of the House 
of Representatives, the highest office then in the 
gift of the people. Tlie Governor and deputy- 
Governor was then appointed in England. For 
many years no name is more conspicuous upon the 
town records. He appears to have been one of 
those shrewd, clear-headed, practical men, whose 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 137 

minds are formed and trained by reflection and ex- 
perience, rather than by a knowledge of books, or 
by intercourse with the world. He held, at different 
times, every office in the gift of the people of his 
native toAvn and State, and in all, he gained the 
confidence of those whom he was called to serve. 
He was also an active member of the church, and 
for many years one of its deacons. 

We regret that so little can now be ascertained 
concerning Mr. Fairfield. An anecdote is still told 
of him, which is quite characteristic. The common 
mode of travelling in those days was on horse- 
back. Setting out to attend a session of the Leg- 
islature, he became so absorbed in thinking of the 
business on which they were to enter, and upon 
his duties as Speaker, that he is said to have actu- 
ally reached Boston, bridle in hand, before discov- 
ering that he had left his horse at home. 

The names of Goldsmith and Waldron are promi- 
nent among the first settlers of Wenham, and fre- 
quently appear in the records of the town, down to 
the period of the Revolution. Both have since 
become extinct, or survive only in the female line. 
The Waldron place was in the eastern part of the 
town, and is supposed to be the one now occupied 
by widow Elizabeth Dodge. 

Among the list of active and useful citizens, the 

name of Capt. Wm. Rogers should not be omitted. 

For a period of nearly thirty years, he officiated as 

town clerk, and any one who has taxed his eyes 

12* 



138 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

and racked liis brain in deciphering the hiero- 
glyphics of the early records, will know how to ap- 
preciate his plain and legible hand-writing. He 
was the second school-master employed in town, 
and appears to have been the second person who 
enjoyed the high military dignity of captain in ''ye 
trainband." Five times he was chosen by the town, 
to represent them in the Legislature, which he ap- 
pears to have done with general acceptance. He 
was evidently a man of integrity and energy, and 
he was accordingly rewarded with the respect and 
confidence of his fellow-citizens. 

The name of Tarbox first occurs in Wenham 
about the beginning of the last century. The fam- 
ily occupied the farm lying upon the road to Tops- 
field, and now owned by Mr. Smith. During the 
latter part of the last century, Dea. Samuel Tarbox 
was one of the leading and influential citizens of 
the town. He is described by some who still re- 
member him, as a man of strong common sense and 
much force of character. In his younger days he 
had been, for those times, quite a traveller ; and 
the story is still told of him that, as the result of 
his observations, he had come to the sage conclu- 
sion, which he used often oracularly to repeat, 
"that if a man could not live in Essex county, he 
could not live anywhere." ^A daughter of his was 
the mother of Col. Paul Porter, from whom the 
above anecdote was obtained. 

We have mentioned the names of several old 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 139 

families, once prominent in the history of the 
town, who have passed away. But several of the 
early settlers have descendants still remaining, to 
perpetuate the ancestral name. We apprehend, 
indeed, that it is rather rare to find among our 
restless, shifting, emigrating population, so many 
families, who have occupied for more than two 
hundred years, the place of their original settle- 
ment. It has been difficult, in this part of the 
work to know where to begin or when to stop. 
Several families, perhaps equally worthy of notice, 
I have been compelled to omit for want of space, 
and difficulty of obtaining information. 

James Moulton was one of the original settlers 
of Wenham. He was one of the first men chosen 
by the town, to serve on the grand jury, and he 
was afterwards elected to various important sta- 
tions. On the removal of Eev. Mr. Fisk to Chelms- 
ford, he and Charles Gott was appointed a commit- 
tee to procure a successor, and when the church 
was re-organized under Eev. Mr. Newman, in 1663, 
his name appears among the male members. He 
was afterwards, in 1674, chosen the first deacon. 
From the amount paid by him, in the early tax 
lists, he appears to have been a man of large prop- 
erty. 

The name of Kimball has always been a promi- 
nent one in the history of Wenham. Eichard 
Kimball, the first of the name, settled in the west 
part of the town, probably upon the place now oc- 



140 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

cupied by Mr. Joseph Day. He appears to have 
been the largest tax-payer among the early settlers, 
and his descendants have generally been in easy 
circumstances. Five of the name have filled the 
office of deacon in the Congregational Church, and 
others have had their full share of municipal duties 
and responsibilities. Lieut. Edmund Kimball led 
a body of his neighbors and townsmen in the 
brilliant expedition against Louisburgh in 1745, 
and upon the death of his captain, succeeded to 
the command of his company in the siege of that 
fortress. His promising career was terminated at 
the early age of twenty-eight. 

Capt. Edmund Kimball, a nephew of the pre- 
ceding, was for many years a distinguished and 
successful merchant in Newburyport. While yet 
a youth, he was drafted and served in the army of 
the Revolution. For some ^''ears he was the com. 
mander of a vessel, but at an early age left the 
seas, though he was afterwards the owner of 
several vessels. His later years were spent in 
retirement in his native town, for which he had 
always cherished a feeling of strong attachment. 
He gave, in 1827, $500 to the Congregational 
Church in Wenham, for the support of the gospel, 
and also the communion service of silver, which is 
still in use. His character combined in a 
remarkable degree, the energy and enterprise of 
the successful man of business with uncommon 
gentleness and simplicity in private life. He died 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 141 

December, 1847, at the advanced age of eighty- 
five. 

The first representative chosen by Wenham to 
the General Court was Joseph Batchelder, elected 
in 1644. His descendants have remained in Wen- 
ham until the present time. Mark Batchelder, pro- 
bably a son of the preceding, was killed in the 
assault upon the fort at the Narragansetts in 1675. 
Various farms have at difierent times been occupied 
by the members of this family. Their oldest seat 
is supposed to be on the farm now occupied by 
Mr. Israel Batchelder. 

y-. The name of Dodge has always been numerous 
in Wenham and the adjoining towns. It is said 
that three brothers originally emigrated to America, 
one of whom settled on Long Island, one in Salem, 
and one in Wenham, and from these brothers all of 
this name in the country are supposed to be 
descended. Richard, who settled in this town, 
appears to have left a numerous posterity. For 
more than a century there have been more voters 
of this name than of any other in the place. 
Their principal residence appears to have always 
been at and about the Neck. They have generally 
been respectable and influential citizens. Five of 
the name have served as Deacons of the Congre- 
gational Church, and two have been deacons of the 
Baptist Church. Three have represented the town 
in the legislature, and others have borne their 
share of municipal honors and labors. Many of 



142 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

this name have emigrated from Wenham to the 
adjoining towns, and their descendants are now to 
be found in almost every part of the country. 

The place now belonging to Mr. George Dodge 
was occupied during the early part of this century 
by Samuel Bknchard, Esq., a gentleman of high 
respectability and intelligence, and who, for several 
years, represented the town in the Legislature. 
His son, Francis Blanchard, Esq., was an eminent 
lawyer in Boston, but died at an early age. A 
daughter of the latter became the^wife of Hon. 
Robert C. Winthrop, who thus came in possession 
of the estate which, for some years, he occupied 
as a summer residence. Connected with Mr. 
Blanchard was the Gardner family, who resided 
near the spot now occupied by the cottage of Gen. 
Andrews. Mrs. Gardner was a sister of Col. 
Pickering. They subsequently removed to Bos- 
ton, where their descendants became wealthy 
merchants and ship-owners. None of either of 
these families now remain in Wenham. 

The name of Porter has been one of the most 
conspicuous in the history of Wenham. John 
Porter removed to Wenham from Danvers, about 
the year 1680. He was one of the two sons of 
John Porter, who emigrated from England to this 
country, and bought, in 1643, a large tract of land 
near Danvers Plains, hence often called Porter's 
Plains. Tradition says that he lived upon land now 
belonging to Mr. William Porter, near the outlet 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 143 

of Wenliam Lake, and which is still marked by a 
stump of an ancient apple-tree. He purchased a 
large tract of land extending from the Lake to 
Pleasant Pond, a portion of which has been in 
possession of the family without alienation for 
nearly two hundred years, and is now owned and 
occupied by Dr. Jolm Porter, one of his lineal 
descendants. In 1712 and 1726, he was chosen to 
represent the town in the Provincial Legislature, 
and at different times held various posts of trust 
and responsibility in the town. He died, accord- 
ing to his tomb stone, which is still standing, in 
1753, aged 95 years. He had a son, Jonathan 
Porter, who like his father, was a citizen of more 
than ordinary distinction. In 1745 - '46 and '47, 
he served as representative in the General Court. 
Tyler Porter, a son of Jonathan, was educated 
as a physician, but from some reason never 
practiced his profession. He was a man of strong 
mental powers and much energy of character, was 
a civil magistrate, and for many years was elected 
to all the civil stations in the gift of his fellow 
citizens. No man acted a more conspicuous part 
in the revolutionary history of the town. He died 
June, 1811, aged 75 years. Billy Porter, a brother 
of the preceding, was also a man of much energy 
and force of character. He served in the army 
during the entire period of the Revolutionary War, 
and rose to the rank of Major in the continental 
troops. He was the first representative chosen by 



144 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

the town after the Revolution, and was re-elected 
in 1793. Soon after this, he removed to Upper 
Beverly, where he died in 1797. 

Jonathan Porter v/as the only son of Tyler 
Porter who settled in Wenham. He was an 
extensive farmer, and in the latter part of his life 
engaged also in commerce, having built a brig and 
a schooner, which last was named Wenham, in 
compliment to his native town. 

The late Henry Porter was a son of Jonathan 
Porter. He was the inventor of Porter's Burning 
Fluid, for which he obtained a patent in 1835, with 
the exclusive privilege of manufacturing and 
selling the same within the United States for four- 
teen years. It was first introduced into New York 
city and some of the Western States, and subse- 
quently into Boston. Since then it has been 
steadily coming into general use, and gaining 
popular favor. It is estimated that more of this 
fluid is now sold in Boston than of any and every 
kind of oil. Mr. Porter was possessed of an 
active and inquisitive mind, as w^ell as of considera- 
ble ingenuity. He also invented a lamp for the 
use of his fluid, and the nurse lamp now so general 
in sickness. For several of his last years, his 
mind was shattered by its own excessive activity; 
and he finally died at the early age of forty-two. 
, The name of Austin Kilham occurs among the 
earliest settlers of Wenham. He is supposed to have 
come from the West Eiding of Yorkshire, where 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 145 

the parish of Kilbam still exists, situated near 
Beverly, the priiicipal market town in that part of 
England. From this Austin Kilham, all who bear 
the name of Kilham, which has now become con- 
siderably diflused in our country, are supposed to 
be descended. The family have, at difierent 
periods, taken an active and prominent part in the 
affairs of the town. 

The name of Daniel Kilham, Jr., is quite con- 
spicuous in the revolutionary history of the 
place. He was an active member of the Com- 
mittee of Correspondence, and of the various Com- 
mittees of Safety, to^whom the affairs of the town 
were entrusted before the re-organization of the 
State Government. 

His son, the Hon. Daniel Kilham, born January, 
15, 1751, was, for man^^ years, an active politician 
and a prominent citizen of Essex County. He 
early showed a taste and aptitude for study, Avhich 
induced his father to give him what was rare in 
those days — an opportunity to acquire a liberal 
education. After finishing his preparatory studies 
at Dummer Academy, he was admitted to Harvard 
College in 1773, from which he received, in 1777, 
the degree of A. B., and in 1785, that of A. M. 
After graduating at Cambridge, he studied medicine 
with Dr. Holyoke, of Salem, but finding the pro- 
fession not agreeable to his tastes, he soon removed 
to Newburyport, and engaged in the business of 
an Apothecary. Here he resided fifteen years, 
13 



146 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

during which he was repeatedly chosen a member 
of the Massachusetts Legislature, and took an 
active and prominent part in the discussion of the 
questions, which then excited public attention. 
While in Newburyport, he formed an intimate 
acquaintance and friendship with Hon. Rufus King, 
afterwards Minister to England, and United States 
Senator from New York ; and many letters from 
Mr. King are still in the possession of Dr. Kilham's 
relatives. 

In 1804, Dr. Kilham was compelled by ill health 
to relinquish his business, and he then returned to 
the old homestead, as he expressed it, to die. His 
health, though it continued feeble for several 
years, at length revived, and he hved to extreme 
old age. The near prospect of death did not pre- 
vent his commencing many improvements upon his 
estate, of which he scarcely hoped to receive any 
benefit. He planted trees for others, but happily 
for his friends he lived many j^ears to enjoy them. 
He took much interest in the cultivation of fruit 
trees, at a time when little attention was paid to 
the subject, and for many years his apples, pears, 
and plums were highly prized in Beverly and 
Salem. 

In politics he was a Democrat of the Jefferson 
School, and was repeatedly nominated for election 
to Congress, but the party to which he belonged 
being in a minority in his district, he never attain- 
ed those honors which his talents and attainments 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 147 

well deserved. In 1802, he was appointed General 
Commissioner of Bankruptcy for Massaclmsetts, by 
President Jefierson. He was also a member of 
Gov. Gerry's Council in 1811, and the same year 
was appointed Justice of the Court of Common 
Pleas for Essex County. From 1808 to 1835, he 
held the commission of Justice of the Peace and 
of the Quorum. He was also one of the founders 
of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 
in whose proceedings he took much interest. 

Dr. Kilham was a man of extensive and varied 
reading, of retentive memory, and so thoroughly 
posted in political history as to make him an able 
debater and a formidable antagonist. Party spirit 
at this period run very high, and political subjects 
were discussed with great warmth and animosity. 
Frequent debates arose between him and Hon. 
Timothy Pickering, and other leaders of the 
Federalists, in which both parties exerted their 
best powers, and so nearly matched were the 
opponents that the partisans of each usually claim- 
ed the victory for their champion. 

In private life. Dr. Kilham was a man of quiet 
manners and retiring disposition. He was a fine 
specimen of a gentleman of the old school, some- 
what formal and reserved in his habits, but always 
kind and courteous, independent in his opinions 
and fearless in expressing them, a faithful friend, 
as well as a resolute and determined opponent, an 
excellent type of a class of men, which has now 



148 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

almost passed away. He retained as long as he 
lived, the old-fashioned small clothes, thus pre- 
serving the dress as well as the manners of his 
younger days. Dr. Kilham was never married, his 
house being kept by a widowed sister. He was a 
kind and loving brother, and for his sister's children 
he felt a father's care, and acted a father's part. In 
all that concerned the well-being of his native 
town, he evinced a deep interest, and repeatedly 
received the public thanks of his fellow citizens 
for his services in their behalf. He died quite 
suddenly at the advanced age of eighty-eight, as 
was supposed of a disease of the heart. He was 
found dead in his garden, among the trees and 
flowers, which he had planted and so dearly loved, 
his countenance retaining in death the same calm 
and pleasing expression, which it had borne through 
life. 

Among the distinguished citizens of Wenham 
no name has been so generally known, or so high- 
ly honored as that of the Hon. Timothy Pickering. 
He was born in Salem, July 17, 1745, where 
his father was a respectable merchant. After 
graduating at Harvard in 1763, he pursued the 
study of the law, and was in due time admitted to 
the bar. In the difficulties which about this time 
arose between the mother countr}^ and her colonies, 
he took from the first an active and decided part, 
and soon became the leader and champion of the 
Whigs in the region where he lived. He was a 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 149 

member of all the committees of correspondence, 
and performed himself the entire labor of the 
writing. The address voted by the inhabitants of 
Salem to Gov. Gage, disclaiming all desire to pro- 
fit by the closure of the port of Boston, and the 
transfer to that place of the meetings of the Legis- 
lature, was from his pen. On hearing of the battle 
of Lexington, he marched the regiment of which 
he was commander to Charlestown, but arrived too 
late to cut off the retreat of the British. In the 
same year, upon the organization of a provisional 
government, he was appointed a Judge of the Com- 
mon Pleas for Essex Count}", and sole Judge of the 
Maritime Court, which had cognizance of all prize 
cases for tho Middle District, including Boston and 
Essex County. He retained these offices till 1777, 
when he joined the continental army in New 
Jersey, and received the appointment of Adjutant 
General from Washington. He was present at the 
battles of Brandywine and Germantown, and con- 
tinued with the army until they went into winter 
quarters at Valley Forge. About this time, 
he was chosen by Congress, a member of the 
Board of War, then sitting at Yorktown, Penn. 
Here he remained until he was appointed to suc- 
ceed Gen. Greene, as Quarter-Master-General, an 
office which he held to the close of the war, and in 
which his energy and efficiency contributed much 
to the surrender of Cornwallis, at Yorktown. His 
services and fidelity during the Revolution, had se- 
13* 



150 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

cured the confidence and esteem of Washington, 
vvdiOj soon after his election to the Presidency, aJD- 
pointed Mr. Pickering Postmaster General. He 
was also charged with several important negotia- 
tions with the Indian tribes. Upon the resignation 
of Gen. Knox, in 1794, he was transferred to the 
place of Secretary of War. In 1795, he was ap- 
pointed Secretary of State, in the place of Mr. Ran- 
dolph. This ofSce he continued to fill through the 
rest of Washington's administration and during a 
part of that of his successor. He was removed by 
Mr. Adams, in May, 1800, but was soon after elect- 
ed Senator from Massachusetts, to fill up the unex- 
pired term of Mr. Fostei, who had resigned. In 
1805, he was re-elected Senator, for the full term 
of six years. After its close, he was chosen a 
member of the Executive Council, and during the 
war of 1812, was a member of the Board of War, 
for defence of the State. In 1814, he was elected 
Eepresentative to Congress, from the Essex dis- 
trict, which station he resigned, March, 1817, and 
retired to private life. His death occurred at Sa- 
lem, Jan. 29, 1829, in the 84th year of his age. 

For many years, Mr. Pickering occupied the 
place in Wenham, now owned by Messrs. A. & J. 
Lowe, upon which he resided during the intervals 
of leisure from public life. He was very fond of 
agriculture, and displayed the same energy in the 
management of his estate, which had made him so 
distinguished in public affairs. He was a man of 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 151 

large stature and great industry. Many now liv- 
ing, can remember him as he appeared leading the 
mowers upon his farm, in the morning, when per- 
haps he would be summoned and set out on horse- 
back before evening, for Washington, to consult 
on affairs of the highest national importance. He 
was the first president of the Essex Agricultural 
Societ}^, in the proceedings of which he took much 
interest and contributed several valuable articles 
still preserved in their published Reports. He 
was beloved by his neighbors and townsmen, and 
always manifested a deep interest in all that con- 
cerned the well-being of his rural home. 

In the various public stations which he filled, 
Mr. Pickering showed a clear and penetrating 
mind, sound judgment, and indomitable energy. 
His stern, unbending patriotism, the lofty dignity 
of his public character, and the simplicity of his 
manners in private life, remind one of the ancient 
Eoman. Perhaps no one was ever more trusted 
and confided in by his friends, or more bitterly de- 
nounced by his enemies. The numerous public 
stations to which he was called, are the best testi- 
monials of the regard in which he was held by his 
cotemporaries. It is enough for us to say, that he 
possessed through life, the esteem and confidence 
of Washington. 



[ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



The early settlers of New England fled from 
persecution at home, that they might worship God 
according to the dictates of conscience. Their 
first work after landing on our shores, was to or- 
ganize a church, and make arrangements for the 
regular performance of public worship ; and as 
their settlements extended, no sooner had they 
built houses to shelter themselves and their fami- 
lies from the severity of the climate, than they 
proceeded to erect a sanctuary and secure the ser- 
vices of a regular pastor. 

For the first three or four years after the earli- 
est settlements were formed in Wenham, the inhab- 
itants probably attended public worship in Salem. 
The first sermon preached within the limits of the 
town, of which we have any record, was delivered 
by the celebrated Hugh Peters,"^ in 1642. The 

* Mr. Peters afterwards returned to England, where he performed 
a conspicuous part in the changes which followed ui)on the Civil 
War. He became a famous jjreacher among the Puritans, and was 
appointed by Cromwell, as one of his chaplains. After the resto- 
ration of Charles II. he was publicly beheaded on Tower Hill. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 153 

village was then called Enon, and in allusion to it, 
doubtless, the text, " In ^Enon, near to Salem, for 
there was much water there," John iii. 23, was 
selected. The grassy hillock, then occupied by 
the distinguished preacher, long retained the name 
of '^ Peters' pulpit," but it has recently given way, 
hke many other relics of antiquity, to the en- 
croaching spirit of enterprize which marks our 
age. The little eminence has been entirely remov- 
ed, and the place where it stood is now occupied 
by the extensive ice-houses of Gage & Co. It re- 
quires some effort of imagination to recall the scene 
as it existed two hundred years ago. The lake in- 
deed remains, and still reflects from its crystal sur- 
face, the overarching sky. But the dense forests 
which then lined the shores, and cast their shad- 
ows upon the glassy waters, have long since disap- 
peared. The very hills have been smoothed away 
by the art and industry of man. The '' salvages '^ 
who then fished in the quiet lake, or pursued their 
game through the tangled wilderness,have passed 
away. The wolf and the deer have given place to 
herds of grazing cattle. The shores and slop- 
ing hills, then covered with tangled thickets, 
gnarled oaks, and lofty pines, the haunts of wild 
beasts and venomous reptiles, now exhibit a pros- 
pect of cultivated fields and tasteful dwellings. 

" "Where peeped the hut, the palace towers. 
Where skimmed the bark, the tall ship lowers ; 
Joy gaily carols where was silence rude. 
And cultured thousands throng the solitude." 



154 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

Nor is it the outward face of nature alone, that 
has changed. Those stern and hardy men who 
were striving to subdue the howling wilderness, 
and thus secure for themselves a free and peaceful 
home, and who had that day met to hear the word 
of God for the first time, at their own doors — they 
too have passed away, and even their graves can 
now scarcely be traced. But the preaching of the 
gospel and the regular worship of the sanctuary, 
then introduced within our borders, have never 
failed. 

The next year, Mr. John Fisk, who had taught 
the first grammar school established in Salem, and 
while thus engaged, had occasionally assisted Mr. 
Peters in his ministerial labors, removed to Wen- 
ham, and through his efforts a church was regular- 
ly organized, on the 8th of October, 1644. He at 
once became its pastor, and continued his labors in 
the town till 1656, apparently much to the satisfac- 
tion of the people. To the duties of the pastor he 
added those of physician, so that Cotton Mather re- 
marks concerning him: " Among the most famous 
preachers and writers of tlie gospel, with whom 
the primitive church was blessed, there was Luke, 
the beloved physician, the blessed scholar and col- 
league of the apostle Paul. And among the first 
preachers and writers which rendered the primi- 
tive times of New England happy, there was one 
who might be called the beloved physician ; one 
to whom there might also be given the eulogy 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 155 

which the ancients think was given to Luke — a 
brother whose praise was in the gospel, through- 
out all the churches. This was Mr. John Fisk." 

This appears like high eulogy, but for the times 
in which he lived, Mr. Fisk was evidently a superi. 
or man. He was descended from a pious ancestry, 
and was early devoted to the service of Christ and 
the church. His parents, after carefully instruct- 
ing him at home, sent him to the grammar school, 
and afterwards to the University. He graduated 
at Immanuel College, Cambridge, and after study- 
ing theology, was engaged for several years, in the 
work of the ministry. In consequence, however, 
of the persecution then carried on against the Pu- 
ritans, and the difficulties and annoyances in the 
way of preaching, in accordance with the advice of 
his friends, he turned his attention to medicine, 
and obtained the usual license to practise as a phy- 
sician. Yet he was still so desirous to resume the 
labors of the ministry that he determined to re- 
move to America. He had previously married a 
lady of high rank and uncommon worth. To her 
parents, his purpose to come to America was so 
disagreeable, that they resolved to deprive him of 
several hundred pounds, which were the just share 
of his wife in her father's estate. At the call of 
duty, however, he did not hesitate to sacrifice 
property, and all the endearments of home and kin- 
dred. Disguising himself to escape the fury of 
his persecutors, he embarked, in company with the 



156 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

Rev. John Allen, afterwards the first minister of 
Dedham. Of the voyage, Cotton Mather says : — 
" They entertained the passengers with two ser- 
mons every day, besides other agreeable devotions, 
which filled the voyage with so much of religion 
that one of the passengers being examined about 
his going to divert himself with a hook and line on 
the Lord's day, protested that ' he did not know 
when the Lord's day was ; he thought every day 
was a Sabbath day, for,' said he, ' they do nothing 
but pray and preach all the week long.' " 

After arriving in this country, Mr. Fisk appears 
to have taught some years in Cambridge, and af- 
terwards in Salem. Of his services in the latter 
city, the Mayor of Salem, in a public address in 
1842, says, " We may all well be proud of the hon- 
est fame of the first teacher of our grammar school. 
He was, by the concurrent testimony of the most 
learned and honored of his day and generation, 
ranked high in the list of able, useful and devoted 
ministers of the gospel. One of his scholars was 
Sir George Downing, who was a member of the 
first class that graduated at Harvard College." His 
pupils, it is said, were fitted '' to read any classical 
authors into English, and readily make and speak 
true Latin, and write it in verse as well as prose, 
and perfectly to decline the paradigms of nouns 
and verbs in the Greek tongue." 

Preferring, however, the work of the ministry to 
the labors of the teacher, he gave up his school in 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 157 

1643, and, removing to Wenham, joined Lis for- 
tunes to those of the infant plantation. Upon 
what salary he was settled, we have no means of 
ascertaining. A piece of land appears to have 
been granted to him, and in addition to this, he 
had probably such contributions as the people were 
able to raise. It is stated that '' he drew largely 
upon his own estate, for the benefit of the new 
plantation.""^ In 1654, it was voted by the town, 
that, " the yearly maintenance of our minister shall 
bee fortie pounds a year, whether Mr. Fisk stay 
among us, or we procure another ;" and again, that 
" Mr. Gott, James Moulton and John Fisk are 
chosen to go to Mr. Miller, to give him a call in 
case Mr. Fisk leaveth us." December, 1655, it 
was ordered " that in case Mr. Brock be procured 
to stay amongst us, whatsoever the town hath en- 
gaged, or shall be levied on any land, shall be paid, 
two-thirds part in wheat, barley or peas, butter or 
pork, and the other third part in Indian corn." In 
consequence of the extreme scarcity of money, 
taxes and contributions were very generally paid 
in produce. According to the expenses of living 
and the means of the people, £40 a year would 
seem to be full as large a salary as is now usually 
paid in country towns. 

From the previous votes, it appears that Mr. 
Fisk had already formed the purpose of leaving 

^ In 1643, he gave ten acres of laud for the benefit of the church 

and society. 

14 



158 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

Wenham. He remained, however, till 1656, when, 
with a majority of the church, he removed to 
Chelmsford, where he lived for twenty years, dis- 
charging the duties at once, of the minister and 
the physician. ^^ For twenty years," says Cotton 
Mather, " did he shine in the golden candlestick of 
Chelmsford, a plain, but an able, powerful and use- 
ful preacher of the gospel, rarely, if ever, by sick- 
ness hindered from the exercise of his ministry. 
He died in his new field of labor in 1676, at the ad- 
vanced age of seventy-five. 

Kev. W. Allen, in his history of Chelmsford, has 
given high testimony to the value of Mr. Fisk's la- 
bors in that town. The trials and hardships which 
he was there called to endure, might have dis- 
heartened youthful vigor, but were borne with 
fortitude and even cheerfulness. For the use of 
his flock, he wrote a catechism entitled, " Water- 
ing of the Olive Plants in Christ's Garden." This 
little work is moderate in doctrine, catholic in 
spirit, and admirably suited to the purpose for 
which it was designed." His epitaph in Latin, is 
as follows : " Yixi et quem dederas cursum mihi 
Christe peregi, pertsesus vitae, suaviter opto mori. 
(I have lived and finished the work which Thou, 
Saviour, didst give me ; weary of life, I long to de- 
part in peace.") 

After the departure of Mr. Fisk, with a majority 
of the church, those who remained, Avere left in a 
very low and enfeebled condition. It has been 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 159 

supposed by some that no ecclesiastical organiza- 
tion existed till, as they say, the church was again 
gathered, in 1663, and the Rev. Antipas Newman 
was ordained as its pastor. There are, however, 
reasons to believe that the remaining members 
continued to act as a church, though no distinct 
record of their proceedings has been preserved. 
At a town meeting held Dec. 6, 1656, it was voted 
that, " Whereas the town hath taken into consider- 
ation the great want of a minister amongst us, it is 
therefore ordered that Mr. Gott and James Moul. 
ton are hereby chosen to endeavor to procure one, 
and to present him with the promise of £45 a year, 
for his yearly maintenance." The next year they 
obtained the services of Rev. Antipas Newman, 
and we find recorded a vote of the town, Nov. 8, 
1657, that his salary should be paid half in wheat 
and half in Indian corn;" and again it was unani- 
mously voted, that " the town will allow towards 
Mr. Newman's house the sum of X40 sterling, and 
XIO more towards the providing of other accom- 
modations." Two years later we find a vote to 
raise the sum of £50 for their minister's support, 
which was £10 more than they had ever given to 
Mr. Fisk. These facts abundantly prove that 
though the church must have been very much 
weakened by the loss of a majority of its members, 
yet the remainder were not at all despondent, but 
rather aroused to new effort. Mr. Newman was 
married in 1658, to Elizabeth Winthrop, a daugh- 



160 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

ter of Gov. Winthrop. He appears to have 
preached for several years, as a regular supply, but 
for some reason was not ordained till Dec. 8, 1663. 
At that time, the church appears to have been re- 
organized and a new covenant adopted. 

The first house of worship was small, and de- 
signed to be only temporary. It stood upon a 
small eminence near the house of Mr. Henry Tarr. 
As early as 1660, we find a vote of the town, to 
build " a new meeting-house, twenty-four feet 
square, and twelve feet stud, the old meeting-house 
to be sold, partly to defray the cost, and the se- 
lectmen empowered to jjut it out to be built." 
But afterwards it was determined to repair the old 
one, and the new house was not completed till 
1663. The expense of this work was defrayed, 
partly, by a rate of X80 3s. 8c?. 

The ministry of Mr. Newman does not appear to 
have been distinguished by any remarkable event. 
He was a man of excellent religious character, and 
his services were acceptable to his people. In 
1665, his salary was raised to " £50 a year, and 
two pounds of butter for every milch cow in the 
parish, and this sum to be paid promptly." More- 
over, as was customary in those days, a house and 
land enough for a small farm was given him by the 
town. His residence is supposed to have been the 
place where the house of Dr. John Porter now 
stands. Here he died, Oct. 15, 1672, nine years 
after his ordination, and fifteen years from the 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 161 

commencement of his ministry. Tradition says 
that he was buried near the grave of Kev. Mr. 
Swain, but there is nothing now to mark the spot. 
He left five children, and a widow, who afterwards 
married Zerubabel Endicott, a son of Gov. Endi- 
cott, of Salem. 

The church did not long remain destitute. At a 
town meeting, Jan. 5, 1673, or within less than 
three months of Mr. Newman's death, we find the 
following record : " For the encouragement of Mr. 
Gerrish to settle amongst us, it is voted, that dur- 
ing the time that God shall continue him with us, 
he shall have X50 within the town, per year, and 
twenty cords of wood, with the use of the minis- 
ter' s house and land, with the appurtenances." 
From other records, however, it appears that Mr. 
Gerrish did not come to Wenham till May 31st. 
He was born at Newbury, March 23, 1650, gradu- 
ated at Harvard College, 1669, and was ordained 
pastor of the church in Wenham, Jan. 13, 1674. 
Here he remained in the active discharge of the 
duties of the ministry, till his death, Jan. 6, 1720, 
in the seventieth year of his age, and the forty-sev- 
enth year of his ministry. During this long peri- 
od, he preserved, in a remarkable degree, the con- 
fidence and affection of his people. Soon after his 
settlement, a house was built for him by the town, 
and a little later, a grant was made to him of 
twelve acres of land, and a share in the common 
lands. 

14^ 



162 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

The town taxes at this period averaged about 
£30 a year, while the State and County tax, (or 
county rate as it was called,) varied from £4 to 
<£8. Thus the amount paid for the support of the 
gospel, at this time, exceeded the entire taxes of 
the town, for all other purposes. This sum was 
raised partly by renting a portion of the common 
lands, but principally by subscription. The mode 
of proceeding, when any were unwilling to con- 
tribute their share, may be seen from the follow- 
ing record : '^ Voted, 3d of 11th month, 1659, that 
Eichard Coy and Thomas Fisk are chosen . to take 
an accompt of our neighbors what they will allow 
for our minister's maintenance, and to collect his 
said maintenance for the year ; that is, to demand 
it in case of defect of payment, and to distrain, if 
need require." As new families moved into town, 
seats in the church were rented to them, at prices 
varying from six to eight shillings a year, with the 
condition of contributing their share to the ex- 
penses of repairing the house. The seating of the 
people in the meeting-house, appears to have been 
left to the care of the selectmen. 

Some of the people from the southern part of 
Ipswich, who were in the habit of attending church 
here, being negligent about paying their share for 
the support of public worship, it was promptly 
voted that " the selectmen shall agree wdth them 
upon such terms as they shall see meet, and in 
case they shall not comply, to discharge them from 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 163 

coming." An amicable arrangement was at length 
formed; by which they were to pay to Wenham 
one-third of the expense of building the house, and 
also their share towards keeping it in repair, and 
paying the salary of the minister. Accordingly, 
the west gallery and several seats in the body of 
the church were assignee! to them. 

Eecords like these are interesting, as throwing 
light upon the spirit of the times. No individual 
was then allowed to evade obligations, which were 
regarded as resting equally upon all. Every male 
member of the parish was taxed at five shillings per 
head ; a contribution was taken up every Sabbath, 
and any one who failed to do his part was immedi- 
ately fined. The money appears in all instances, 
to have been promptly paid at the beginning of the 
year. 

In 1688, an agreement was signed by thirty-eight 
persons, to pay to Mr. Gerrish annually, the sum 
of £60 — <£10 of it in money, and to increase his 
allowance of wood to thirty cords a year. At this 
period, the fees of the sexton for taking care of 
the house and ringing the bell, were about twenty 
shillings a year. 

The early part of Mr. Gerrish's ministry was a 
period of trial and suffering in Wenham, as well as 
in other New England towns. In 1675, or two 
years after his settlement, King Phillip's War 
broke out, and five men were impressed from the 
town for the service of the colony. The fury of 



164 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

the enemy, it is true, fell mostly upon the frontier 
and more exposed towns. Yet against such an en- 
emy, lurking in swamps and forests, and always 
most dangerous when least expected, security 
could only be obtained by constant vigilance. 
The influence of these exciting times could not fail 
to be unfavorable to the moral progress and spirit- 
ual interests of the little community. Yet in spite 
of all difficulties, the church and parish continually 
prospered. The pastor, by his zealous and faithful 
labors, was able to preserve the confidence and af- 
fection of his people. Every reference to " our 
minister," in the records of the town, gives evi- 
dence of their general esteem of his character. 

About this period, a practice was introduced, 
which afterwards became the occasion of many dif- 
ficulties. We refer to the ^-'half-way covenant." 
One of the earliest measures after the colony was 
organized, was a law, requiring that church mem- 
bers alone, should be allowed to vote in civil af- 
fairs, or to hold any office. This was evidently a 
great error, yet less surprising, when we consider 
the spirit of the times and the peculiar circum- 
stances of the people. The religious principles 
and character of the earliest settlers were such as 
to occasion no inconvenience from this regulation. 
When, however, a second generation grew upon the 
soil, many of them not church members, but whose 
claim to all the rights of citizenship, could not 
properly be disputed, the injustice of this law be- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 165 

came manifest. To obviate this difficulty, a 
scheme was introduced by a synod, which met in 
1662, to determine who were proper subjects for 
baptism. By this scheme, '' Persons baptized in 
infancy, understanding the doctrines of faith, and 
solemnly owning the covenant before the church, 
wherein they give up themselves and their chil- 
dren to the Lord, and subject themselves to the 
government of Christ and his church, their children 
are to be baptized, although still excluded from the 
communion.'' They were, moreover, allowed cer- 
tain privileges, and permitted to act in ecclesiasti- 
cal affairs. In this way, too, they became voters, 
and obtained the right to hold office, and these 
privileges furnished strong inducements for all 
moral and respectable people to become thus con- 
nected with the church. 

This scheme was not adopted without considera- 
ble opposition, many churches and ministers re- 
garding it as unscriptural and dangerous. By de- 
grees, however, it prevailed very generally, and in 
many places continued in use almost till our own 
times. To guard against laxity of discipline and 
other evils, which in many places attended it, Mr. 
Gerrish drew up " a form for such as own the cov- 
enant and offer their children for baptism." 

About this time the unhappy excitement re- 
specting witchcraft, was at its height. It originat- 
ed in the neighboring town of Danvers, and eX' 
tended to several of the adjoining villages. A 



166 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

person in Wenham, whose name is not mentioned, 
accused Mrs. Hale, wife of the Rev. John Hale, of 
Beverly, of witchcraft; but her excellence and 
worth were so well known and appreciated that no 
one appears to have believed the charge. " The 
whole community was convinced that the accusers, 
in crying out upon Mrs. Hale, had perjured them- 
selves, and from that moment their power was de- 
stroyed, the awful delusion ceased, the curtain fell 
and a close was put to one of the most tremendous 
tragedies in the history of real life." The belief in 
witchcraft was not at this period confined to New 
England ; it prevailed throughout the civilized 
world. Statutes against it were enacted by the 
wisest legislators, and sentence of death pronounc- 
ed upon those who were accused of it, by the most 
learned and cautious judges of Europe. And when 
we consider the peculiar education and circum- 
stances of the early settlers of Massachusetts, 
it will not appear strange that they should have 
the prejudices and errors of the wisest statesmen, 
and of the most learned jurists of their age. 

The excitement which pervaded the region, of 
course extended to Wenham, and four of the jury 
who tried and presented most of those who were 
executed, belonged to this place. We have no 
record, however, that the witches ever held any of 
their pow-wows within our bounds, albeit one might 
suppose the great swamp to be a very fit place for 
their rendezvous. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 167 

During the long period of Mr. Gerrisli's minis- 
try, the church and people under his care appear 
to have greatly prospered. Careful attention was 
paid to cases of discipline, and to everything which 
might contribute to the spiritual welfare of his 
flock. The assistance of the church and its pastor 
was often invited to join in organizing churches in 
other places, and to give advice at councils, in 
cases of difficulty. Many such occasions are re- 
corded in the histories of the adjoining towns. 

Transgressors of the laws and regulations of 
the church did not escape unrebuked. The fol- 
lowing is a form of '^ absolution," granted to those 
who, after being reproved, gave evidence of peni- 
tence and humility : 

" Though you have greatly sinned against the Lord, this 
church, and your own soul, yet, seeing'you humble yourself be_ 
fore God, and penitently fly to the Lord Jesus Christ for mer- 
cy, resolving through grace, to do so no more ; we tell you as 
in John ii. 1, 2, and 1 John i. 9, Isaiah Iv. 7, 8, Prov. xxviii. 13. 
This church doth now loose the bonds laid upon you, and re- 
ceive you again into their communion ; who are to receive you 
and not upbraid you with your fall, and rejoice in your recove- 
ry. And we exhort and charge you that you watch more care- 
fully for the future, and that you avoid temptations, and accept 
reproofs, and see that you turn not again to your former ways 
of sin, but obey the Spirit, and keep close to God in the means 
of your preservation. So help you God, in Christ Jesus our 
Lord." 

This form being publicly read and assented to, 
the offender was restored to his standing in the 
church. 



168 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

In 1705, a new covenant was formed and solemn- 
ly approved by the church. This covenant was 
read and adopted after the communion in July, 
and again sanctioned in March of the following 
year, and still again in 1710, and is as follows : 

" We, the communicants of the church in Wenham, being 
under a deep sense of the distress of the church of God in gen- 
eral, and of the heavy and wasting judgments which have been 
on this land, and in pursuance of diverse declarations recom- 
mended to us by our much honored and well affected rulers, ex- 
horting all well minded among us to do their utmost to check 
and suppress the growing immoralities and profaneness too 
manifest in the midst of us ; and to endeavor to promote the 
necessary and much desired work of reformation in ourselves, 
ours, and others. As one proper means, among others, we do 
agree and purpose, (Divine grace helping and encouraging) 
vigorously and resolvedly to set ourselves in our several capac- 
ities and relations, to detect, prosecute, and reform the growing 
enormities, which are the enemies and dishonor of our profes- 
sion and religion. 

1. "\Ye will more strictly watch over our own hearts and 
lives, that we may become more exemplary and inoffensive in 
our conversation toward God and men. 

2. " We will faithfully watch over one another and submit 
ourselves to the brotherly counsels and admonitions, which 
may charitably and regularly be given, one to another, and 
from another to ourselves or ours, as occasion may be offered. 

3. " In particular, we will take heed of the love of the world, 
that it cause us not to neglect our duty to God in our general 
calling, or abate the zeal and care which we should have of the 
glory of God. 

4. " We will draw near to God in his ordinances, and we 
will not indulge ourselves in formality and drowsiness in the 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 1G9 

worship of God. Nor will we allow ourselves or ours, in sen- 
suality, intemperance, or excess in meats, drinks, or apparel. 

5. ** That we will more strictly guard our thoughts, words 
and actions, on the Lord's day, and will endeavor to restrain 
all within our gates from profaning any part of it. 

6. " We will more carefully inspect the manners of our fami- 
lies, and endeavor to command our children and households 
after us, to serve the Lord. 

7. *' We will, without partiality, bear our testimony against 
suc'i transgressions and enormities as shall fall within our ob- 
servation. 

" If so be, by these or other means, we may promote the 
glorious work of reformation, and obtain the removal of God's 
wasting judgments we labor under, and the averting of omens 
impending, and the return of God's gracious presence, with the 
restoration of his wonted favors and blessings, as in former 
times, we may be happy." 

This covenant shows the strictly practical char- 
acter of reh'gion in those times, and especially the 
care and diligence Avith which church members 
watched over one another, as well as over their 
friends and neighbors. 

Many of the people from the sonth part of Ip- 
swich had been in the habit of attending church in 
Wenham, and had materially contributed to the 
support of the gospel here. But in 1714, fourteen 
church members and seventeen families were dis- 
missed, to form a new church at Ipswich Hamlets, 
now Hamilton. £39 11^. 9d. were allowed to them 
for their share, which was estimated to be one- 
third, in the meeting-house. 

Mr. Gerrish continued to serve the town with 
15 



170 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

general acceptance, till the seventieth year of his 
age, and the forty-seventh of his ministry. The 
following is the account of his death in the church 
records : 

" Jan. 6, 1720. This day ye Revd. Mr. Joseph 
Gerrish, ye faithful and useful minister of ye place, 
who was seized with a vertigo a few days since, 
which quickly turned into something of an apo- 
plectic aspect, departed this life in ye 70th year of 
his age. He was born at Newbury, March 23, 
1650 ; educated by ye learned and venerable Mr. 
Thomas Parker; took his degree at Harvard, 1696; 
preached first at Dover and then at Wenham, May 
25, Anno 1673. He came to dwell here July 6th, 
following, and was solemnly set apart for ye work 
of the ministry, Jan. 12, Anno Christi 1674-5. 
This place prospered so (Deo juvante) under him, 
that at his death there were more than three times 
the number of families, which there were at his 
first coming to them. He was a person of excel- 
lent piety, a gentlemanly spirit, of a singular good- 
ness in his temper, an uncommon example of hos- 
pitality, greatly esteemed by all ye towns of ye vi- 
cinity, but especially a rare blessing on all ac- 
counts, unto this town, where God had stationed 
him ; who at his death, in suitable expressions of 
honor and sorrow, universally testified yt they 
looked on him as a holy and righteous man, and a 
valuable servant of God. His body was decently 
interred, Tuesday, Jan. 12th, a vast multitude 
being present to do him honor at his burial.'' 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 171 

We need acid nothing to this quaint yet striking 
testimonial to the character .of this excellent man. 
Under his ministry, nine hundred and eighty-seven 
persons were baptized, two hundred and thirty-six 
owned the covenant, and two hundred and thirteen 
were admitted to full communion with the church. 
No distinct registry appears to have been preserv" 
ed of marriages and deaths. Nor was his reputa- 
tion confined to the immediate scene of his labors. 
The learned Cotton Mather thus concludes a ser- 
mon upon the occasion of his death : 

" How can we see the departure of ministers 
who had a lustre among the righteous, -without 
some sad apprehensions of the glory departing? 
So much going that was our beauty and our de- 
fence, and that cry not be made, ' My father, my 
father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen 
thereof.' The cry is heard upon the death of the 
gracious, humble, faithful Mr. Joseph Gerrish ; a 
man on many accounts, but especially those of 
righteousness, more precious than fine gold, than 
the golden wedge of Ophir ; the useful minister of 
Wenham, whom a distemper of an apoplectic as- 
pect arresting him as he was near finishing the 
seventieth year of his age, has newly fetched 
away to the mansions, which his great Saviour 
had prepared for him. He is one of the elders 
■who has obtained this good report, that he was 
a holy and righteous man. A person of excel- 
lent piety, one of a gentlemanly as well as relig- 



172 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

ious disposition ; one of a singular goodness and 
sweetness in his temper ; candid, courteous, full 
of condescension; an uncommon example of hos- 
pitality; a singular blessing to the town where 
God had stationed him, which, under his conduct, 
became thrice as big as he found it at his first 
coming to them. And his people at his death, 
with an universal concurrence in expressions of 
their love to him, testified some sense thereof, tes- 
tified what an esteem God had given him in the 
hearts of those that were acquainted with him. 
Farewell, man greatly beloved ! May his be- 
reaved flock that had been happy in him for six 
and forty years, now find the compassion of our 
Great Shepherd concerned for them."^^ 

Mr. Gerrish was buried in the grave-yard, w^here 
a reddish stone slab, the inscription upon which 
has unfortunately become illegible, marks the spot 
of his resting-place. The town showed their re- 
spect for his memory by voting X20 for his funeral 
expenses, and many years after his death, they 

* We add, in respect to Mr. Gerrish, the testimony of John Dun- 
<^^*^^st5ji7 Esq., an English gentleman who visited him in 1686. "It 
^ were endless to enter on a detail of each faculty of learning Mr. 

Gerrish is master of, and I therefore take his character in sliort 
hand. The philosopher is acute, ingenious and subtle. The divine 
curious, orthodox and profound. The man of a majestic air with- 
out austerity or sourness; his aspect is masterly, yet not imperious 
or haughty. The Christian is devout without moroseness or starts 
of holy frenzy or enthusiasm. The preacher is primitive without the 
occasional colors of whining or cant, and methodical without intrica- 
cy or affectation ; and, which crowns his character, he is a man of 
public spirit, zealous for the conversion of the Indians, and of great 
hospitality to strangers. He gave us a noble dinner, and entertain- 
ed us with such pleasant fruits as I must own old England is a 
stranger to. Taking leave of this generous Levite, we thought it 
high time to prosecute our designed ramble to Ipswich." 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 173 

made a generous appropriation to repair the mon- 
ument over his grave. He left a widow, a daugh- 
ter of Richard Waldron, Esq., and five children. 

Being thus deprived of their spiritual guide, the 
church, about three weeks after the death of Mr. 
Gerrish, held a private fast, with the assistance of 
the Rev. Messrs. Chipman and Prescott. It was 
voted to appoint a committee of six to supply the 
pulpit, and also to observe the 10th of February 
following, as a public fast, " to seek God's face and 
favor in our bereaved state, and his blessing on 
our endeavors for a re-settlement, and that the 
congregation be desired to join with us in the 
work of said day." 

March 15th. The church gave a unanimous call 
to Rev. Joseph Emerson, to settle with them, 
which call was concurred in by the town, on the 
18th. After some considerable time, Mr. Emerson 
sent them a letter dated at Boston, July 11th, de- 
clining their call. Aug. 20th, the church voted to 
give a call to Rev. Daniel Perkins, of Charlestown' 
which was at first agreed to by the town, but at a 
second meeting an unhappy difference arose about 
the salary, some wishing to make it £90, while the 
town would give only <£80 a year. Upon this dif- 
ference of opinion, Mr. Perkins declined to preach 
any longer at Wenham. The church then engaged 
Mr. Robert Ward, teacher of the grammar school 
at Charlestown, to preach for the three ensuing 
Sabbaths. His first text was Ps. cxix. 113. ^'Order 
15* 



174 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

my steps in thy Avay." So much were the church 
and society pleased with these efforts, that they 
voted unanimously, Oct. 20th, to invite Mr. Ward 
to be their pastor, offering him £90 annually, in 
bills of credit or passable money, for his salary, 
and XlOO for his settlement. The following note 
from the young men of the town, addressed to Mr. 
Ward, will show the strong impression which his 
preaching and other services had made upon all 
classes of people. 

" To Mr. Robert Ward :— 

" Sir : — AYe whose names are hereunto subscribed, livhig in 
Wenham, and not in a capacity to vote in to\Yn concerns, do 
not only declare our willingness, but also our desire is, that 
you would be pleased to take up with our church and town's 
call. And in so doing, we, the subscribers, shall be much 
obliged therein, and are yours to serve in whatsoever is duty 
from us to yourself." 
Nov. 7, 1720. 

James Kemball, Abraham Kemball, 

John Kemball, John Rogers, 

Daniel Kemball, Paul Kemball, 

Thomas Browne, Daniel Allen, 

Zaccheus Goldsmith, Israel Triker, 

Samuel Batchelder, Josiah White, 

Thomas Kemball, Daniel Fairfield, 

Edward Waldron, Thomas Baker, 

John Moulton, Jeremiah Perkins, 

Nathaniel Kemball, John Dodge, 

Joseph Tarbox, Robert Herrick, 

Daniel Clafling, George Thoping, 

Thomas Dodge, James Rix, 

Josiah Kemball. 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 175 

Such a testimonial of respect and kind feeling 
must have been very gratifying to Mr. Ward, and 
it is not strange that, with such encouragement, 
the invitation was cheerfully accepted. The fol- 
lowing is his letter of acceptance : 

" To ye much respected, ye committee appointed to notifie to me 

the call of the church, and ye concurrence of ye congregation 

at Wenham : 

Sirs : — I have seriously weighed your important call, and 
have sought direction from Heaven, that, in this great affair, 
my steps might be ordered according to the Word of God. I 
have also consulted my fathers in the ministry, who have unan- 
imously advised me to look upon your invitation as a call of 
Christ, and to comply therewith. Whereupon I do, with the 
greatest concern and seriousness of mind, accept it as such, en- 
gaging, by Divine assistance, to attend, and so far as God shall 
enable me, to carry on and discharge all the duties of a gospel 
minister towards this church of Christ ; and I earnestly beg 
your prayers to God for me, yt He would qualify me daily, 
more and more, for it ; yt He would direct and enable me by 
his grace, so to live and so to preach, as becomes a minister of 
Christ, and one that watches for souls. Brethren, my heart's 
desire and prayer is, yt I may at all times come unto you in ye 
fullness of the blessings of the gospel of peace, and that my 
ministry may be a means of turning many to righteousness ; a 
savour of life unto each of the souls committed unto my charge, 
whereby I shall have unspeakable joy and they an inconceiva- 
ble reward in the day of our Lord. I am yours, henceforward, 
in ye service of ye gospel. Kobert Ward. 

Wenham, Nov. 13, 1720. 

Mr. Ward was ordained Jan. 25, 1721. The 
church in Charlestown, the 1st and 3d churches in 



176 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

Ipswich, the 2d church in Beverly, and the church- 
es in Topsfield and Manchester, were invited to 
take part in the council. The church in Charles- 
town, in consequence of the distance and of illness 
in the pastor's family, did not come, but sent a 
high testimonial to the worth and excellent char- 
acter of the pastor elect. The exercises of the or- 
dination were commenced with prayer, by Mr. Ca- 
pen, of Topsfield ; Mr. Ward preached from 2 Sam. 
vii. 18. Mr. Rogers, of Ipswich, gave " the awful 
charge." Mr. Fitch, the right hand of fellowship, 
and Mr. Wigglesworth closed with prayer. " We 
sang ye' three last staves of Ps. 132, and Mr. Ward 
pronounced the blessing." 

Feb. 21st was observed as " a day of fasting and 
prayer, and to renew the solemn covenant with 
God and one another." Mr. Ward began with 
prayer, and then preached from Ezra viii. 21. ^To 
seek of him a right way for us." The covenant 
drawn up by Mr. Gerrish was read, and the assent of 
the church signified ; the brethren signified their 
assent by holding up their hands, the sisters by 
rising." 

The church appears to have been highly pros- 
pered during the entire period of Mr. Ward's min- 
istry. It was voted April 7, 1727, to observe a 
day of fasting and prayer, in private, to beseech 
the favor of God upon us, that he would unite our 
hearts to fear his great name, and that he would 
vouchsafe the great blessing of early piety to our 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 177 

children and those who descend from us." These 
efforts of the church were so successful that with- 
in a year of the time, fifty-six were admitted to the 
church and seventy-five " owned the covenant." 

But amidst these proofs of the prosperity of the 
church and the usefulness and j^iety of its pastor, 
we suddenly meet with the record that " Kev. Mr. 
Ward being sick, a committee was chosen by the 
town to supply the pulpit, and it was voted to 
raise X30 for the purpose." Soon after he died, 
July 19, 1732, in the 38th year of his age, 
and the eleventh of his ministry. During the ten 
and one-half years which he served the church in 
Wenham, two hundred and sixteen persons were 
baptized, one hundred and eighteen admitted to 
full communion, seventy-five owned the covenant, 
fifty-four couples were married, and one hundred 
and twenty-two died. The town showed their re- 
spect for his memory by voting £26 towards his 
funeral expenses. He was born, as appears from 
the inscription over his grave, in Charlestown, 
Sept. 23, 1694, and graduated at Harvard, 1719. 
He was twice married ; first, to Priscilla, daughter 
of Hon. James Appleton, of Ipswich, who died in 
1724, aged twenty-eight years ; and secondl}^, to 
Margaret, daughter of Daniel Rogers, Esq., of Ip- 
swich, who survived her husband, and died in 
1743, aged forty-four j^ears. From the records it 
appears that she did not unite with the church 
until after the death of her husband. Both the 



178 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

wiv^es of Mr. Ward lie by his side in the old part 
of the burial ground. 

Being again deprived of their spiritual head, 
the church, according to their usual custom, held 
^^ a day of prayer and fasting, seriously to implore 
the direction of Heaven in the choice of another 
pastor." A committee appointed to seek a candi- 
date, engaged Mr. John Warren to preach for six 
Sabbaths, at the end of which he received a call 
from the church and people, to become their pas- 
tor. A salary of XI 30 was offered, with X200 
upon his settlement."^ An appropriation of £23 
was also made for the expenses of the ordination? 
which occurred Jan. 12, 1733. The 1st and 3d 
churches in Ipswich, the two churches in Beverly, 
and the first three churches in Salem were invited 
to assist in the exercises of the day, Mr. Prescott, 
of Salem, opened with prayer, Mr. WigglesAvorth, 
of Ipswich, preached from ileb. xii. 17, ^' As they 
that must give an account." Rev. Mr. Rogers, of 
Ipswich, gave the charge, and Rev. Mr. Fisk, of 
Salem, the fellowship of the churches. " Two 
staves of the 132d Psalm" were sung, and the bene- 
diction pronounced by the pastor. 

" A day of prayer and fasting was held, June 15 > 
1734, for the revival of religion, that the blessing 
of God might be on the rising generation." This 
special effort appears to have been followed by in- 



* This large increase in the amount of salary, ahove what had pre- 
viously been given, is to be ascribed to depreciation in the value of 
the provincial money. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 179 

creased religious interest, and a large accession to 
the church. 

In 1737, the town was visited with a terrible 
epidemic, of Avhich about twenty persons died in 
the course of three months. Two families lost the 
entire number of their children, viz., Mr. John 
Gott and Mr. Richard Dodge ; the former of whom 
lost five and the latter four. A public fast was 
appointed, to improve this season of affliction. 
Eev. Mr. Champney preached in the morning, 
from Jer. ix. 24 ; Rev. Mr. Chipman, in the after- 
noon, from Jer. ii. 80. Thus did our forefathers 
acknowledge the hand of God in the hour of afflic- 
tion, as well as in the time of prosperity. A pow- 
erful revival followed, and within the following 
year we find that thirty-five persons were united 
with the church. From the previous accounts it 
will appear that this church was no stranger to re- 
vivals of religion, and accordingly we find them 
ready to sympathize with such works occurring in 
other places. About the year 1740, occurred the 
Great Awakening, as it has been called, under the 
labors of Whitefield, Edwards and others. After 
the first generation of Puritans had passed away, 
religious zeal and interest appeared to decline. 
Coldness and lethargy very generally prevailed 
among the churches, and when the new reforma- 
tion arose, no little opposition was encountered 
from many distinguished persons, both of the cler- 
gy and of the laity. On the other hand, it was as 



180 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

warmly supported by an assembly of one hundred 
and thirteen pastors, at a " meeting in Boston, 
July 7, 1743, occasioned by the late happy Revival 
of Religion in many parts of the land." Among 
the names of those present, appears that of Rev. 
John Warren, pastor of the church at Wenham. 

In 1743, " a century lecture" was delivered by 
Mr. Warren on the hundredth anniversary of the 
incorporation of the town. This lecture unfor- 
tunately appears not to have been preserved. It 
doubtless contained much interesting and valuable 
matter respecting the early history of the town, 
which cannot now be replaced. 

Mr. Warren was settled on what appears to have 
been a liberal salary for the times, yet so fluctuating 
was the state of the currency that it became 
necessary repeatedly to make special grants for his 
maintenance. In 1743, X30 were thus given, and 
the same the following year ; then £70 a year were 
added to his regular salary for three years. In 
1746, the parish voted to give £100 to Mr. Warren 
in addition to the £130 a year, on which he was 
settled ; the next year, this grant was raised to 
£170, and in 1748 to £220. 

Mr. Warren's health appears to have been for 
several years rather feeble. He died July 19, 1749, 
in the 45th year of his age, and the 17th of his 
ministry. The town supplied the pulpit during his 
illness, and voted £20 for the expenses of his 
funeral. He was born at Roxbury, Sept. 18, 1704, 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 181 

graduated at Cambridge, 1725, began to preach in 
1727. His epitaph says of him, that " he was a 
burning and shining hght, beloved of his brethren 
in the ministry, as well as of his own flock, and 
deservedly lamented at his death.'' 

Soon after the death of Mr. Warren, the church 
and town united in the choice of Mr. Samuel 
Turrell for their pastor. But Providence had not 
so ordained, for on the 10th of February follow- 
ing, he was removed by death before his answer 
to the people of Wenham had been given. Under 
these circumstances, the 9th of May was observed 
as a day of prayer and fasting. A few days sub- 
sequently, Mr. Joseph Swain, of Reading, was 
unanimously invited to become their pastor ; £10 
lawful money was offered as a salary, and X133 6s. 
8d. granted upon his settlement. The ordination 
took place Oct. 24, 1750. Rev. Mr. Perkins, of 
Bridge water, preached from Deut. viii. 11. Rev. Mr. 
Wigglesworth, of Ipswich, offered the ordaining 
prayer and gave the charge, and Mr. Hobby, of 
Reading, gave the right hand of fellowship. 

Soon after the settlement of Mr. Swain, an un- 
fortunate difficulty arose between Mr. Josiah Fair- 
field and two other members of the church, viz. : 
Messrs. John Gott and Richard Kimball. The 
church refused to take it up and declined to join 
in a mutual council. Mr. Fairfield upon this pro- 
ceeded to call an exparte council, which met May 
15, 1751, first at the house of Mr. Fairfield, and 
16 



182 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

afterwards at the meeting-house. A committee 
was appointed by the church to confer with the 
council. The result of their deliberation was that 
they advised the church to consider those articles 
of Mr. Fairfield's complaint which were not involved 
in the law. An attempt was made to reconcile the 
parties, which resulted in a confession on the part 
of Mr. Gott, respecting a portion of the charges 
against him. The other articles of complaint the 
church, after a patient hearing, decided to be not 
sufficiently proved. This investigation continued 
through several months. The council met again in 
November, and approved the decision of the 
church. This, we believe, is the only ecclesiastical 
council ever convened in Wenham for any purpose, 
except to settle or dismiss a pastor. These dif- 
ficulties occurring so early in his ministry must 
have been exceedingly annoying to Mr. Swain, but 
he appears throughout to have acted with wisdom 
and firmness. The account which he has given in 
the records of these troubles, is singularly calm 
and dispassionate, and his entire course seems to 
have commanded the respect and approval of his 
people. 

In 1755, a war Avas commenced with France, 
though not formally declared till a year later. An 
expedition was planned against Crown Point upon 
Lake Champlain, in which the New England 
Colonies were actively engaged. A regiment was 
formed in Essex County, of which Mr. Swain was 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 183 

chosen chaplain. It is probable that he was not 
long absent, but returned with the close of the 
season to his parish. 

Mr. Swain, as well as his predecessor, suffered 
much from the fluctuating state of the currency. 
Various sums were granted to him at different pe- 
riods by the town, to compensate for the deprecia- 
tion of his salary — at one time <£10, at another £30, 
at another, XIOO. During the revolutionary war, 
the society became so impoverished that the pastor 
was employed, in addition to his other duties, in 
teaching the village school, for which service he 
was to receive .£300 in the depreciated currency 
of the times. 

Mr. Swain had the reputation of being the best 
writer in the Association, though rather a dull 
speaker. He appears to have been somewhat 
formal and reserved in his manners, and so did not 
gain that hold upon the affections of his people 
that some of his predecessors had acquired. The 
records speak of his having had difficulties with 
the church, but of what nature is not now apparent. 
During the period of his ministry, the country 
passed through two long and severe wars, the 
effects of which extended to every town and neigh- 
borhood. The minds of men were intensely exer- 
cised upon the great events which were transpiring 
around them. The country was passing through a 
great transition state. The attention of people 
was diverted from religious to secular affairs ; there 



184 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

were few conversions, and the ordinances of the 
church were irregularly administered. On account 
of ill health Mr. Swain appears not to have preach- 
ed much for some time before his death, which 
occurred June 27, 1792, at the age of 71. He had 
been pastor of this church for forty-two years. 
During this period over one thousand persons were 
baptized, five hundred and fifty-three died, one 
hundred and twenty-seven were admitted to the 
church, and one hundred and nineteen OAvned the 
covenant. His funeral sermon was preached by 
Rev. Mr. Forbes, of Gloucester. 

A few months afterwards. Rev. Adoniram Jud- 
son was invited to take charge of the church and 
society. A council was convened, consisting of 
the churches in Chebacco, Ipswich Hamlet, Man- 
chester, and the two churches in Beverly. They 
met Dec. 26, 1792, and organized by electing Rev. 
Mr. Cleveland, moderator, and Rev. Mr. Cutler, 
scribe. " They proceeded regularly and unani- 
mously to the installation of Rev. Mr. Judson, 
which was done decently, and to the satisfaction 
and joy of a great concourse of people." About 
the same time the half-way covenant was abolished, 
and none admitted to partake of church ordinances, 
but such as had been admitted to full commu- 
nion. 

Mr. Judson remained in Wenham but a short 
time. <£60 were offered for his settlement, and 
£95, with the use of the parish lands, as his salary. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 185 

Considenng this sum insufficient, he soon request- 
ed to have it increased, but the town voted unani- 
mously, to make no addition whatever, to his sala- 
ry. Upon this, Mr. Judson asked a dismission, 
which, after some delay, was granted. A council 
w^as convened, which resulted in his being dismiss- 
ed, Oct. 22, 1799, This appears to be the first in 
stance in which an ecclesiastical council assembled 
in town, for the purpose of dismissing a pastor. 
Mr. Judson afterwards settled at Plymouth, where 
he remained till 1817. In his old age he became a 
Baptist, and died at Scituate, Nov. 26, 1826, aged 
seventy-six. During the seven years of his minis- 
try in Wenham, twenty-four persons united with 
the church, twenty-three were baptized, forty-two 
couples were married, and fifty-two died. A son 
of his, Eev. Dr. Adoniram Judson, became the dis- 
tinguished Baptist missionary to Burmah. 

After the dismissal of Mr. Judson, the church 
became much divided, and was for some years des- 
titute of a pastor. Attempts were made to induce 
several clergymen to settle with them, but without 
success. At length, in 1805, the choice of both 
church and people was united upon Rev. Eufus 
Anderson. Their invitation was accepted, and on 
the 10th of July, of that year, a council was assem- 
bled to perform the services of his installation. 
The sermon on this occasion was preached by Eev. 
Dr. Worcester, of Salem, from Eph. i. 23. Dr. Dana, 
of Ipswich, ofi'ered the installing prayer. Dr. Wads- 
16^ 



186 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

worth, of Danvers, gave the charge, and Dr Ab- 
bott, of Beverly the fellowship of the churches. A 
salary of $500 a year was offered to Mr. Anderson 
— a liberal sum, if we consider the relative expens- 
es of Hving, and the income of other professions at 
that time. 

The 10th of October following was observed as 
a day of prayer and fasting, " in remembrance of 
the late drought, and especially under the judg- 
ment of the present prevailing and mortal sick- 
ness." " The day was generally observed ; it 
seemed to be a holy solemnity." 

The next year a new covenant and articles of 
faith were drawn up by a committee appointed for 
the purpose, and were approved by a vote of the 
church. These articles are somewhat lengthy, and 
treat in considerable detail, of matters of discipline 
and church government, as well as of principles and 
doctrines. In an abridged and condensed form, 
they still constitute the creed and covenant of the 
church. 

Mr. Anderson's ministry appears to have been 
generally very acceptable, but failing health soon 
impeded his activity and usefulness. He died 
Feb. 11, 1814, of ^' pulmonic consumption," from 
which his health had been gradually declining, for 
two or three 3^ears, in the forty -ninth year of his age, 
and ninth of his ministry. His funeral sermon was 
preached by Dr. Worcester, of Salem, from 2 Tim- 
i. 12. From it we learn that' he was born at Lon- 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 187 

donderry, N. H., March 5, J 765; graduated at 
Dartmouth College, 1791 ; was ordamed pastor of 
the second church in North Yarmouth, Oct. 22, 1794, 
where he remained about ten years. Dr. Worces- 
ter says of him : " Mr. Anderson was possessed of 
good natural talents, improved by dihgence in 
study, especially in the study of the Holy Writings. 
His mind was active and efficient, and in regard to 
objects deemed by him important, would easily kin- 
dle into ardor. His passions, naturally quick and 
strong, restrained and sanctified by Divine grace, 
difi'used around him a mild and benign, a warming 
and cheering influence." These qualities secured 
to him the warm attachment of his people, and his 
ministry Avas quite successful. While he was over 
this people, forty persons were added to the 
church, sixty-seven w^ere baptized, forty-five cou- 
ples were married, and seventy died. During the 
latter part of his life, Mr. Anderson was engaged 
in preparing a history of foreign missions, and em- 
ployed his son Rufus to assist him in the work. 
The latter, now senior secretary of the American 
Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, thus 
became interested in that cause to which his life 
has since been devoted. 

A committee was appointed to supply the desk, 
upon Mr. Anderson's death, and several candidates 
were successively employed. A call was given by 
the town, in 1815, to Mr. Ebenezer Hubbard, but 
the church refused to concur. Much division and 



188 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

dissension ensued. June 20, 1816, the town in- 
structed the committee not to employ any other 
candidate but Mr. Hubbard. A part wished to 
employ him till the money raised for the year, 
w^hich was only $200, should be exhausted. Mr. 
Hubbard at length left, and was soon after settled 
at Middleton. In August, 1817, the church and 
town agreed to invite Rev. John Smith to become 
their pastor, which invitation was accepted, and 
he was accordingly installed November 26th of the 
same year. His stay here, however, Tvas short. 
Two years after coming to Wenham, he received 
the appointment of Professor of Theology, at Ban- 
gor. A council was called September 8, 1819, to 
consider the subject of his dismission, and after 
much consideration recommended that he should 
accept the appointment thus offered, and that his 
pastoral relation with this church should be dis- 
solved. Only one person joined the church while 
he was here, one was baptized, nine couples were 
united in marriage, and eleven died. Mr. Smith 
remained at Bangor till his death, in 1831. He 
was a man of strong logical powers, which were 
cultivated almost to the neglect of taste and imag- 
ination. He labored under an impediment in his 
speech, and did not excel in those graces of man- 
ner and style, which are so essential to the popular 
preacher. His people, however, seem to have 
been united in him during his stay, and after he 
left were ready to agree in their efforts to obtain 
another pastor. 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 189 

Rev. Ebenezer P. Sperry was very soon employ- 
ed as a candidate, and within three months receiv- 
ed a call to settle, and was accordingly installed, 
March 20, 1820. The sermon was preached by 
Rev. Mr. French, of Northampton, N. H., from 
Romans x. 1. Rev. Mr. Stearns, of Bedford, ofier- 
ed the installing prayer ; Dr. Wadsworth, of Dan- 
vers, gave the charge, and Rev. Mr. Oliphant, of 
Beverly, the right hand of fellowship. 

The first record of a Sabbath school appears un- 
der Mr. Sperry, although it is stated that a school 
had been commenced as early as 1818, under Mr. 
Smith. April 20, 1822, the church stopped after a 
preparatory lecture, to make arrangements for 
opening the school. "It was agreed that the 
church should be considered an organized body to 
patronize and superintend it." At first it was held 
only during the summer months, but it was soon 
extended through the year, and considered second 
in importance and usefulness only, to the stated 
worship of the sanctuary. 

In 1826, the labors of Mr. Sperry were rewarded 
by a revival of great interest and usefulness. For 
fifteen years subsequent to 1810, only thirteen per- 
sons had united with the church, which thus be- 
came much reduced in numbers, while most of its 
members were aged and infirm. In these discour- 
aging circumstances, " a day was set apart for fast- 
ing and prayer by the church and people, to sup. 
plicate the continuance of the gracious influences 



190 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

of the Holy Spirit." Their prayers were answer- 
ed, and within a year fifty-nine persons were added 
to the church by profession. 

A Baptist church was organized October 12, 
1831, in the east part of the town, and John Hood 
and Charles Holden, with their wives, were dis- 
missed to join it. 

Mr. Sperry's ministry appears to have been very 
successful. During the seventeen years of his 
pastorate, one hundred and twenty-three persons 
were united with the church ; one hundred and fif- 
ty-four were baptized ; eighty couples were mar- 
ried, and one hundred and ninety-two connected 
with the society, died. By his own request, he 
was dismissed, April 30, 1837. After leaving Wen- 
ham, he served as chaplain of the House of Correc- 
tion, at South Boston, and subsequently, removed 
to Ohio, where he was installed pastor of a church, 
and remained in the active discharge of his minis- 
terial duties till his death, which occurred quite 
suddenly, January 1, 1853. He was born in New 
Haven, Conn., June 3, 1785 ; graduated at Middle- 
bury College, in 1808 ; was ordained at Dunstable, 
N. H., November 3, 1813 ; died at Lyme, Huron 
Co., Ohio, at the age of sixty seven. 

Shortly after Mr. Sperry's dismission, a unani- 
mous call was extended to Mr. Daniel Mansfield, to 
become the pastor of this church and people. The 
invitation was accepted, and accordingly he was 
ordained Julv 26, 1837. The sermon on this occa- 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 191 

sion, was preached by Rev. Dr. Woods, of Ando- 
ver, from 1 Timothy iv. 12 ; ordaining prayer by 
Rev. Dr. Crowell, of Essex; charge by Rev. Dr. 
Emerson, of Salem ; right hand of fellowship by 
Rev. Mr. Fitz, of Ipswich; charge to the people by 
Rev. Mr. Park, of South Danvers. 

Mr. Mansfield is so well remembered by many 
who knew him, that it is hardly necessary to speak 
at length, of the events of his ministry. He ap- 
pears to have possessed good talents and sound 
judgment, while his modesty, gentleness and fideli- 
ty, won for him the respect and affection of his 
people. Upon the second centennial anniversary 
of the organization of the church, he delivered two 
historical discourses, which were afterwards pub- 
lished, and evince careful preparation, and consid- 
erable research. Another discourse of his, preach- 
ed at the dedication of the new meeting-house, at 
Wenham, December 20, 1843, was also published. 
His health, which was never robust, gradually de- 
clined, and on the 8th of April, 1847, he died in the 
midst of his people, in the fortieth year of his age, 
and the eleventh of his ministry. During jiis pas- 
torate, sixty-one were added to the church by pro- 
fession and twelve by letter ; eighty-eight were 
baptized ; seventy-one couples united in marriage, 
and ninety-tliree persons died within the limits of 
the society. Mr. Mansfield was born at Lynnfield, 
August 8, 1807 ; made a profession of religion in 
1826 ; graduated at Amherst, in 1833 ; was ordain- 



192 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

ed over the church at Wenham, July 26, 1837, and 
died April 8, 1847. His remains were buried in 
our cemetery, with the former pastors of the 
church. A neat monument was erected over his 
grave, by the members of his parish, inscribed with 
an affectionate testimonial to his worth. 

The church remained vacant until October 27th, 
of the same year, when Mr. Jeremiah Taylor was 
ordained and installed as its pastor. Mr. Taylor 
commenced preaching in Wenham, August 1st, and 
continued to supply until his ordination. The ser- 
mon was by Rev. 0. A. Taylor, of Manchester ; or- 
daining prayer by Rev. Dr. Dana ; charge to the 
pastor by Rev. Dr. Crowell, of Essex; charge 
to the people by Rev. T. A. Taylor, of Slatersville, 
R. I.; fellowship of the churches by Rev. R. Tay- 
lor, of N. J.; the sermon and other exercises of the 
occasion were printed, and are in the hands of 
many of our people. 

Qf Mr. Taylor as a man, a citizen, and a minister 
of the gospel, it is unnecessary to speak. During 
his ministry of nearly nine years, twenty-two per- 
sons were admitted to the church by profession, 
and fourteen by letter ; twenty-six infants were 
baptized, and fifty-three couples united in marriage. 

In July, 1856, Mr. Taylor received a call to be- 
come the pastor of the first Congregational church 
and society in Middletown, Conn., and at his re- 
quest, a council was convened August 19th, to con- 
sider the question of his dismission. This council, 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 193 

of which Rev. S. M. Worcester, D. D., of Salem, 
was Moderator, and Rev. J. B. Sewall, of Lynn, 
Scribe ,• after a careful investigation of the sub- 
ject, voted by a small majority, " that it is expedi- 
ent that the pastoral relation of Rev. J. Taylor be 
and hereby is dissolved. As an expression of 
their personal feelings, the Council deem it suf- 
ficient to say that, in their unanimous judgment, 
the resolution adopted at the meeting of the Parish 
on the 16th, is worthy of entire confidence." This 
resolution was as follows : 

Sesolved, " That it is the earnest and sincere desire of the 
members of this Society that the Rev. Mr. Taylor shall con- 
tinue our pastor ; that we will do all in our power to render 
the connection happy and prosperous, and that while we deep- 
ly regret the object of the meeting, we cannot let the oc- 
casion pass without bearing our united testimony to the most 
faithful discharge of all his ministerial and parochial duties j 
and especially to the eminent ability, the true Christian spirit 
and fidelity manifested by him in preaching to us the word of 
God ; and to the unimpeachable character he has sustained 
in all the walks of life during his settlement with us." 

The church at the time of Mr. Taylor's departure, 
Sept. 1, 1856, numbered one hundred and eighteen 
members, of whom thirty-eight were males, and 
eighty were females. The contributions for various 
benevolent objects the year previous, amounted to 
$330.00. The Sabbath School at the same t^me 
contained about two hundred scholars, under the 
care of twenty-four teachers. The School has a 
17 



194 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

well selected library of over three hundred 
volumes. 

After Mr. Taylor's dismission, the church re- 
mained for nearly three years without a pastor. In 
July, 1858, an invitation was extended by the 
church and parish to Mr. John S. Sewall, then a 
student in the theological seminary at Bangor, to 
settle with them in the work of the ministry. The 
invitation was accepted and arrangements were 
made for his ordination in the following autumn, 
but in consequence of the sudden and severe 
illness of the candidate, his coming to Wenham 
was deferred till Spring. Mr. SewalPs health was 
at length so far restored that he was ordained as 
pastor of the church and society, April 20, 1859. 
The sermon on this occasion was preached by Kev. 
J. B. Sewall, of Lynn, a brother of the candidate ; 
the ordaining prayer was made by his father, Rev. 
J. Sewall, of Granville, N. Y. ; the charge was given 
by Rev. Dr. Worcester, of Salem, Moderator of the 
Council ; the right hand of fellowship was given 
by Rev. J. 0. Murray, of South Danvers ; and tho 
address to the people by Rev. I. E. Dwinell, of 
Salem. The exercises of the occasion were 
solemn and impressive. May the connection thus 
auspiciously begun, long continue to be a source of 
abundant blessings to both pastor and people. 

The present meeting-house is the fourth which 
has been built by this church and society. The 
first, which was probably designed to be merely 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 195 

tempofery, stood near the house now occupied by- 
Mr. H. Tarr. The road then passed from the Pond 
along a valley somewhat to the east of the present 
road where it now lies, and was carried directly 
over the eminence upon which the church was 
built, and nearly over the spot now occupied by 
the town house. In 1663, a new church was built, 
" twenty-four feet square, and twelve feet stud," 
which, with various alterations and enlargements, 
continued to be occupied till 1748. Here all the 
town meetings and public assemblies were held, 
and at times it appears also to have been occupied 
as a school room. The house was afterwards 
enlarged and repaired. Before the church at 
Ipswich Hamlet was formed in 1714, many of the 
inhabitants of what is now Hamilton, were in the 
habit of attending worship in Wenham, and one- 
third of the house belonged to them. This third 
was estimated at the time they withdrew, to be 
worth £39 lis. 6d., which would make the value 
of the whole house about $400. 

There appears to have been no pews in this 
house. The inhabitants were seated strictly ac- 
cording to their supposed rank. This seating of 
the meeting-house was a subject of frequent 
wrangling and jealousy. It was usually left to the 
selectmen, but was often also devolved upon a 
committee specially chosen for the purpose. The 
rules according to which the rank of different 
individuals was determined, are not preserved in 



196 HISTOEY OF WENHAM. 

our records, but they were probably much the 
same as those adopted by the neighboring town of 
Beverly, a few specimens of which I beg leave to 
quote : 

" That every male be allowed one degree 
for every complete year of age he exceeds twenty- 
one. 

^' That he be allowed for a captain's commission 
twelve degrees, for a lieutenant's, eight degrees, 
and for an ensign's, four degrees. 

" That he be allowed three degrees for every 
shilling of real estate in the last parish tax, and 
one degree for every shilling for personal estate 
and faculty. 

" Every six degrees for estate and faculty of a 
parent alive to make one degree among his sons, 
or where there are no sons, among the daughters 
that are seated. 

" Every generation of predecessors heretofore 
living in this town to make one degree for every 
male descendant that is seated. That parentage be 
regarded no farther otherwise than to turn the 
scale between competition for the same seat. 

'' That some suitable abatement in degrees be 
made where it is well knov/n that the person is 
greatly in debt. 

" Married women to be seated agreeable to the 
rank of their husbands, and widows in the same 
degree as though their husbands were living. 

" That the foremost magistrate seat ( so called ) 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 197 

shall be the highest in rank; and the othef three in 
successive order.'' 

The women were seated separately from the 
men, while the children were crowded into the 
galleries and upon the stairs, or wherever they 
could find a vacant place. The care of looking 
after these juveniles was devolved upon the 
tythingmen, one of whom used to sit among them 
to restrain their mischievous propensities. 

This practice of seating the congregation ac- 
cording to their supposed property and rank, may 
seem very strange to our ideas of republican 
equality, but it was perfectly in accordance with 
the public sentiment of those times. Our ancestors, 
while jealous and tenacious to the last degree of 
their own rights, were always ready to render all 
due homage to the rights and claims of their 
superiors. While the seats were free to all, some 
arrangement must, of course, have been adopted 
to secure harmony among their occupants. The 
plan of seating the house was strictly agreeable to 
the spirit of the age, which allowed the precedence 
on all public occasions to magistrates and men of 
age and respectability. 

In 1747, a vote of the town was obtained to 
build a new meeting-house," and a committee of 
nine persons, viz. : Mr. John Gott, Richard Dodge, 
John Kimball, Benjamin Edwards, Josiah Herrick, 
Ebenezer Waldron, Nathaniel Bragg, Edmund Kim- 
ball, and Caleb Coye, was appointed to superintend 
17^ 



198 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

the work, but the season being late, the whole mat- 
ter was deferred till the next Spring. It was then 
determined to take down the old meeting-house, 
and to make the new one " fifty-two feet long, forty- 
two feet wide, and twenty-four feet stud." A com- 
mittee was moreover appointed, consisting of Dea. 
Jonathan Kimball, Jonathan Porter, and William 
Dodge, to provide at the expense of the town for 
the day of the raising " six gallons of rum, eight 
pounds of sugar, two barrels of cider, two barrels 
of beer, one hundred weight of bread, one hundred 
weight of legs of pork, and forty pounds of cheese, 
to be taken care of by said committee in ye 
prudentest way they can for the end aforesaid; 
which drink and provision," (the record goes on to 
say) " was provided by the town on the above 
said 2nd day of June, 1748." They then proceed- 
ed to finish the house and build the galleries and 
steeple. It was next voted to make twenty-four 
pews around the wall of the house on the lower 
floor, and to sell them at auction to the highest 
bidders. Subsequently twelve additional pews 
were constructed, ^^ six in front and three on each 
end of the body of the seats, to be five feet in 
depth, and to have an alley of three feet between 
them and the wall pews." The galleries and the 
principal part of the body of the house, however, 
still continued to be free, and a committee for assign- 
ing to each one his appropriate seat, continued to be 
appointed till a period considerably later. 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 199 

The business of building the meeting-house was 
at length completed, but not till twenty-two town 
meetings had been held in reference to the subject. 
A steeple was erected and a bell procured ; but in 
1759, we find a vote " to pull down the steeple to 
the meeting-house, to save the house, and to close 
up that part of the roof where it stood." In those 
days, however, when clocks were scarce and the 
people depended for their time very much on the 
ringing of the bell, the want of a steeple was much 
felt ; and accordingly we find that after a few 
years it was voted " to build a steeple twelve feet 
square, and of a proportional height, and that the 
committee be empowered to provide a vane to be 
upon the top of said steeple, according to their 
discretion." <£1351 6s. 8d. were allowed for the 
labor and materials of this work, but it was 
obviously in a depreciated currency, since it was 
three times the sum appropriated twelve years be- 
fore for building the entire house. 

The free seats in the house were afterwards 
removed, and their place supplied by the old- 
fashioned square, high backed pews, with their 
leaning boards and hinge seats ; an arrangement 
by which a part of the congregation were com. 
pelled to turn their backs upon the speaker. 
Provision was made at the west end of the house 
for separate seats for the negroes, a few of whom 
were owned by different individuals in town. In 
1756, the number of this class increasing, a vote 



200 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

was passed that these seats should be lengthened. 
The singing was, for a long time, performed by the 
whole congregation, one of the deacons reading 
the hymn line by line, and then often acting as 
chorister, while every one according to his ability 
joined by rote, but in time and measure not always 
the most harmonious. The first innovation upon 
this ancient practice seems to have been made in 
1770, when " the two hind seats on the womens* 
side, on the lower floor, were turned into a pew to 
accommodate the singers." This arrangement, 
however, did not prove satisfactory ; accordingly 
the next year " the singers' pew was sold, and a 
seat made for them in the gallery." The advantages 
of this plan were so obvious that the choir has 
ever since retained the position then assigned to 
them. 

For more than a hundred years the Bay Psalm 
Book, containing the ancient and rugged version 
of Sternhold and Hopkins, continued to be used in 
the sanctuary. To our ears its measures seem rude 
and inharmonious, but to the stern old puritan, 
^^ the concord of sweet sounds " was altogether a 
secondary consideration. He looked beyond the 
mere forms of expression, to the lofty sentiments 
which they conveyed. Those strains were hallow- 
ed to his ears by the associations of youth, and by 
the continued use of his riper years. It is not 
strange therefore that the introduction of a new 
version, and the formation of a choir were long 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 201 

and strenuously resisted. Like all real improve- 
ments, however, they were at length approv- 
ed, and Dr. Watts' Psalms and Hymns Avere, 
by a vote of the town. May 1771, " introduced 
into the congregation to be sung on the Lord's 
day." "We can find but one other vote in reference 
to sacred music, and that was an appropriation of 
$30 for this purpose, which was made in 1827. 
Since then the support of singing has been left to 
private efforts and contributions. 

The steeple to this meeting-house, which had 
already been once taken down, was destined to 
cause still further trouble. In 1797, XlOO were 
raised for repairing it, under the superintendence 
of Capt. Pelatiah Brown, Richard Hood, and Isaac 
Porter. The next year, $150 were appropriated for 
the purchase of a new bell, the old bell having 
been sold, and the money added to the previous 
sum. But troubles were not to end here. The 
new built steeple was blown down by a great gale, 
in the year 1815. Its place was supplied by a 
square tower of considerably less height, which 
was thus less exposed to the fury of the winds. 

This house continued to stand until Oct., 1843, 
or a little more than ninty-five years from its 
erection. In a sermon preached on the occasion 
of leaving it, by Rev. Daniel Mansfield, he remarked 
that it had been opened for public worship nearly 
five thousand Sabbaths, and that more than ten 
thousand sermons had been preached within its 



W^ HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

walls, while all who aided in its erection, and all 
who first heard the gospel from its desk, had gone 
the way of all the earth. 

The new meeting-house was placed a little in the 
rear of the place occupied by the previous one, 
and was rather larger in size, being sixty feet in 
length by forty-five in width. It was built by Mr. 
T. P. Dodge, at a cost of $4000. A sermon 
preached on the occasion of entering the new 
house by Eev. Mr. Mansfield, was published by 
the Society. 

In consequence of the increase of the popula- 
tion, it was resolved in 1853, to enlarge the house, 
which was done by increasing its length fifteen 
feet. It is now a neat and well proportioned 
edifice, and will seat a congregation of six hundred 
quite comfortably. An organ was procured in 
1852, by private contribution, which adds greatly 
to the interest of the performances of the choir. 

A lot of land had been purchased by the parish 
so long ago as 1725, for the use of the pastor. A 
vote of the town passed in 1840, authorized the sale 
of this lot, the proceeds of which, together with 
a donation of $500 from Edmund Kimball, Esq., 
of Newburyport, and other contributions from 
various individuals, were appropriated to build- 
ing a parsonage. This house was afterwards found 
to be inconvenient and not well suited for such a 
purpose, and was therefore sold. A lot of ground 
was selected opposite to the church and more 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 203 

retired from the street, on which the present 
parsonage was built in 1848, at a cost of $2,500. 
It is pleasantly located on a little eminence, re- 
moved from the noise and bustle of the village, 
and is admirably adapted to be the study and home 
of a country pastor. The grounds around are set 
out with trees, which, when they are fully grown, 
will render the spot truly delightful ; altogether, 
few parishes have a parsonage so pleasant and in- 
viting. 

Liberty was granted by the town, for the parish 
to build a vestry on the common, with a lease of 
the spot for a period of twenty years. A neat one 
story building was accordingly erected, which 
previous to building the town house, was used for 
public meetings, lectures, dc. More recently it 
has been removed to a spot owned by the parish, 
on the north side of the church, and elegantly 
fitted up with settees, &c,, adapting it well for 
evening meetings and other purposes for which it 
was intended. 

The following persons have filled the office of 
Deacon in this church : 

Elected. 

James Moulton Dec. 31, 1674. 

/^William Fisk Feb. 27, 1679. 

James Friend Jan. 8, 1703. 

Ephraim Kimball July 18, 1716. 

John Friend Mar. 7, 1718. 

Daniel Dodge Feb. 11, 1729. 

Wm. Fairfield Sept. 16, 1731. 



204 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

Elected. 

Ebenezer Fisk May 16, 1739. 

Jonathan Kimball. Nov. 26, 1742. 

Ebenezer Fisk 1751. 

Jonathan Kimball Mar., 1758. 

Ebenezer Waldron ,Mar. 24, 1758. 

Samuel Tarbox Dec. 26, 1760. 

John Friend Oct. 30, 1777. 

Caleb Kimball Oct. 30, 1779. 

Stephen Dodge May 26, 1786. 

William Dodge Oct. 4, 1S05. 

John Dodge April 11, 1806. 

Nathaniel Kimball Nov. 14, 1826. 

Moses Foster Jan. 4, 1827. 

Abram Patch Mar. 27, 1834. 

Stephen Dodge April, 1857. 



THE BAPTIST CHUECH. 

The history of the Baptist denomination in 
Massachusetts has been as yet but very imperfect- 
ly written, and still presents a rich and inviting 
field for some future historian. Individuals of this 
denomination appeared in Boston and Salem soon 
after the foundation of the colony. It was no part 
of the original design of the Puritans to found an 
asylum for every sect and opinion. Their great 
object was to estabhsh a religious commonwealth. 
The wilderness was as open to others as it had 
been to them, but in the territory which they 
occupied, they were not disposed to have their 
grand experiment interfered with by the presence 



histohy of wenham. 205 

or preaching of those of different religious senti- 
ments. No resource was left to persons of other 
sects but to return to England, or to found colonies 
for themselves. Accordingly for more than a 
century, the Baptists were very much confined to 
Ehode Island. In later times, they were permitted 
to reside in Massachusetts, and those who were 
enrolled as members of their societies, were 
excused from the tax, which, till 1833, was imposed 
on the population generally, for the support of the 
Congregational ministry. Until a recent period, all 
the churches of the Baptist denomination in New 
England, were embraced in one Association, and 
old men still tell of their journeys to its annual 
meetings, which were usually held in Rhode Island. 
Amidst the various changes which have come 
over the face of society since the Eevolution, 
this denomination has been much increased. Near 
the close of the last century. Miss Rebecca Gold- 
smith, a young lady from Haverhill, but connected 
with some famihes in this town, was employed as a 
teacher in the Neck District, and by her zeal and 
earnestness, persuaded several persons to embrace 
her religious principles. For several years, they 
attended the Baptist Society in Danversport, which 
appears to have been the parent of most of this 
denomination, in this part of Essex County. A 
church was formed in Beverly, March 8th, 1801, 
with which the Baptist families in Wenham, for 
many years, regularly worshipped. Meetings, how- 
18 



206 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

ever, were often held among themselves, and their 
numbers gradually increased. In 1826, the town 
was blessed with a revival, which added con- 
siderably to their strength, and it was at length 
resolved to make an efibrt to organize an inde- 
pendent society. A new and convenient meeting- 
house was erected about two miles east of the Con- 
gregational Church, by Mr. Joseph Edwards. It 
was fifty-one feet in length by thirty-eight feet in 
width, and is surmounted by a tower and steeple^ 
with a bell. It presents a neat appearance, and 
was erected at a cost of about $2000. 

An ecclesiastical council was convened Oct. 12, 
1826, by which twenty-five persons, (eleven males 
and fourteen females) who had been dismissed from 
the first Baptist Church in Beverly, were constituted 
into the Baptist Church of Wenham. The names 
of its orignal members were as follows : . 

1. — Dea. Nicholas Dodge, 

2. — ^Dea. Richard Dodge, 

3. — Nicholas Dodge, Jr., 

4. — Asa B. Edwards, 

5. — Ezra Edwards, 

6. — Benjamin Edwards, 

7. — William Dodge, 

8.— William Dodge, 3rd, 

9.— William P. Dodge, 
10.— David Dodge, 
11. — Richard Dodge, Jr. 



1. — Hannah Dodge, 
2. — Hannah Dodge, 2nd, 
3. — Jerusha Edwards, 
4. — Prudence Langstol, 
5. — Hannah Edwards, 3rd, 
6. — Anna Norris, 
7. — Elizabeth Caswell, 
8. — Lucy Dodge, 
9. — Prudence Dodge, 
10. — Lydia Dodge, 
11. — Sukey Dodge, 
12. — Nancy Dodge, 
13. — Mary Edwards, 
14. — Mary Edwards, 2d. 

The same day, the new house was consecrated 
by solemn and appropriate services to the worship 
of God. Several persons were about this time 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 207 

dismissed from the Congregational Society to join 
the new church, which was increased within a 
year by letter and by profession to forty-eight 
members, most of whom resided in the vicinity of 
the meeting-house. 

The first minister of this society was the Rev. 
Charles Miller, a native of Scotland, who supplied 
from April 4, 1833, until April 9, 1835. He was 
succeeded by Eev. Thomas Archibald, whose 
pastoral relation was dissolved August 3, 1837. 
He was followed by the Rev. Joel Kenney, a 
graduate of Bowdoin College, who was ordained 
June 20, 1838, and was dismissed May 24, 1840. 
The church was then destitute for more than a 
year, but at length succeeded in obtaining the 
services of Rev. George W. Patch, a graduate of 
Newton Theological Seminary, who was ordained 
Oct. 20, 1841. He was a young man of talent and 
energy, and in a short time having received a call by 
the Baptist church in Marblehead to become their 
pastor, he was, at his own request, dismissed Feb. 
27, 1843. 

The church remained without a pastor until 
21st of December, when Mr, Josiah Keely, a 
native of England, but for some years a resident in 
this country, was ordained over it to the work of 
the ministry. His pastorate continued for a period 
of nine years, during which both the church and 
society enjoyed an unusual degree of peace and 
prosperity. He was a man of talent, earnestness, 



208 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

and a truly Christian spirit. His candor, and 
enlightened views and courteous manners secured 
him the respect and esteem of many who were not 
members of his society. As a member and for a 
while chairman of the School Committee, and as a 
supporter of every good cause and good work, he 
was known and esteemed by all the inhabitants of 
the town. He especially delighted and gloried in 
the name and office of peace-maker. The prosperity 
of the society under his charge abundantly proves 
the advantage of permanency in the pastoral rela- 
tion. He was dismissed at his own request, Nov. 
4, 1852, and removed to Saco, in Maine, where he 
is now settled. d 

His place was supplied on the March succeeding 
by Eev. Isaac Woodbury, a native of Hamilton, 
whose ministry and labors are too recent and too 
well remembered to need any description here. 
After a pastoral connection of a little more than 
two years, he was dismissed at his own request, 
Aug. 27, 1855, to remove to the West. 

The church did not long remain destitute. On 
the 1st of January following, Mr. Thomas Womers- 
ly, a native of England, but a graduate of Newton 
Theological Seminary, and for many years a resi- 
dent in this country, accepted the invitation of the 
society and church to become their pastor, to 
which office he was ordained, February 20, 1856. 
The sermon on this occasion was preached by Eev. 
N. M. Williams, of Somerville ; the ordaining prayer 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 209 

was made by Rev. Mr. Kniglit, ot Beverly ; the 
charge to the pastor, by Rev. C. W. Redding ; Fel- 
lowship of the Churches, by Rev. Mr.Chaffin, of Dan- 
vers. Address to the people by Rev. G. W. Patch, 
of Marblehead. The exercises were appropriate 
and solemn, and the occasion one of much interest. 

Mr. Womersly continues to be the faithful, 
industrious and generally beloved pastor of this 
people. Under his ministry the church, notwith- 
standing severe losses by the death of some of its 
most valued members, has been on the whole 
prosperous, and its numbers have been considerably 
increased, although the number of inhabitants in the 
east part of the town has received but little increase, 
the church has always maintained a vigorous life, 
and has doubtless been a blessing to thej people 
among whom it is located. At the present time, it 
numbers seventy-six members, twenty-three of 
whom have been added within the last year. 

The following letter, addressed by the church to 
the Salem Baptist Association, and which, by the 
kindness of the Pastor and Clerk, I am allowed to 
copy, will indicate better than I could otherwise 
do, the present state and prospects of this society. 
It also gives a sketch worthy of preservation of a 
revival which had been recently experienced. 

" To the Salem Baptist Association: 
Dear Bretheen, — 

Our last annual letter to you gave no indication of outward 
prosperity ; it told you that we were desponding, anxious, and 
fearful j and yet that we were endeavoring to be faithful in 

18^ 



210 HISTORY OP WENHAM. 

labors for the descent of God's converting grace. This year 
we send greetings with thankful and rejoicing hearts, for the 
Lord hath visited uS and greatly blessed us. 

The fii'st day of January last, the day set apart by the 
Association for special prayer for a revival of religion in the 
churches, was observed by us in the manner suggested ; and it 
was a day most profitable to us. Previous to that, we had seen 
cheering evidences of the workings of God's spirit upon the 
minds of the increased numbers who attended our meetings. 
But on that day we were permitted not only to see a decided 
yielding to the Spirit's power on the part of unbelievers, but also 
to hear from one who had found the pardoning mercy of God. 
From this time the work of the Lord gradually extended, and 
converts increased to a greater number than had ever been 
known in any former revival in the history of our church. Of 
this number there have already been baptized and added to our 
church twenty-three. 

But together with this great occasion for encouragement 
and joy, we have suffered unusual and most serious losses, 
which have caused us to mourn. Four of our members have 
died during the past year. Two of these had been of the few 
real burden-bearers in the church, ever active, deeply interest- 
ed, and self-sacrificing. May their virtues and usefulness 
enrich the characters of their children, who yetremainwithus. 

Our statistics are as follows : — 

Baptized 23 

Added by letter 

Dismissed 4 

Excluded 

Died 4 

Total number , ... .76 



HISTORY OP WENHAM. 2 1 

We have contributed to benevolent objects as follows: 

To the Baptist Missionary Union $16.00 

" Free Mission Society 2.75 

" Home Missionary Society 8.75 

" American and Foreign Bible Society 13.75 

" New England Education Society 21.75 

" Baptist Church in Rockport 12.00 

" Baptist Church in Leavenworth, Kansas 5.00 

Total $80.00 

Our contribution to the Massachusetts Baptist Charitable 
Society, is $4.20. 

During the past summer we have greatly improved our house 
of worship by remodeling the pews, papering the walls, and by 
sundry other improvements. 

This letter was adopted by our church, Oct. 10, 1858. 

Thomas Womeksly, FastoVf 
John W. Curtis, Clerk." 

The Sabbath School, that most essential auxiliary 
to the church in the religious instruction of the 
young, has been observed by this society from its 
foundation. Indeed, before the church was 
organized, we are informed that the children of the 
neighborhood were often gathered for instruction 
in the Scriptures. The School appears at the pre- 
sent time to be in a flourishing condition. The 
annual report to the Sabbath School Convention of 
the Salem Baptist Association, held in June 1859, 
reports increasing interest in the teachers' meet- 
ings, and Sunday School Concerts which are 
regularly observed and regarded as important aids 
in the great work of religious instruction. The 



212 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

present number of scholars is one hundred and 
eight, of teachers fourteen, while fourteen mem- 
bers of the school have been added to the church 
during the past year by baptism. The library con- 
tains a selection of two hundred and ninety-five 
volumes. The report speaks also of renewed 
efforts and higher aspirations for the future. 

Soon after the formation of the church, the want 
of a parsonage for the residence of the pastor 
began to be sensibly felt. A special effort was 
therefore made, and a neat and comfortable house 
two stories high, and a little removed from the 
main road, was erected at a cost of about $1500. 
It has a quiet and pleasant location, well adapted 
to be the residence and study of a country clergy- 
man.* 

The following persons have filled the office of 
Deacon in this society : 

Nicholas Dodge Oct. 26, 1831. 

Richard Dodge Oct. 26, 1831. 

Benjamin Edwards 

* For much of the information contained in the preceding sketch 
of the Baptist Church and Society, the author has been indebted to 
Rev. Thomas Womersly its pastor, Mr. J. Choate, and others of the 
members. 



CONCLUSION. 



I have thus endeavored to trace the history of 
the town from its rude beginnings in 1639, to the 
present time. The materials for this purpose have 
been very imperfect, and have required to be 
gathered from various and diverse sources. Much 
that would have been exceedingly interesting has 
been lost. It is possible that some existing sources 
of information may have been over-looked, but it 
is believed that no important facts have been 
omitted. The path has been through a thick and 
tangled wilderness, and where no previous pioneers 
have traversed the ground to clear up the under- 
brush and prepare the way. In many cases it has 
been possible only to give the merest outline of 
events as they occurred, leaving the filling up of 
the picture to the reader^s imagination. Those who 
have ever engaged in similar researches will 
appreciate the results of such labors ; and no 
others are competent to judge of the wearisome 
toil of ransacking musty archives, decyphering 
scarcely legible manuscripts, digging and delving 
through heaps of decaying fragments to gather 
hero and there a gem from the accumulated rubbish 
of ages. 



214 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

In reviewing the centuries which are past, we 
cannot fail to be struck with the changes that have 
come over the state of society, as well as the face 
of external nature. The primeval forest no long- 
er spreads its dense and interminable shadows. 
The scarcely traceable footpath has give place to 
numerous and well constructed highways ; where 
late the wolf howled and the wild deer bounded, 
the iron horse now screams and snorts along his 
narrow track. The rude huts of the early settlers 
have been replaced by neat and elegant dwellings, 
the abodes of comfort and even luxury, while fruit- 
ful fields and blooming gardens have sprung up as 
by magic, where two hundred years ago was only 
a waste and desolate wilderness. 

Nor less marked has been the change in the 
world of life. The Indian, whose canoe once 
skimmed these placid lakes, whose war-whoop and 
death song once echoed tlirough these forests, has 
long since disappeared. The early settlers, those 
fearless men, whose strong arms and ' sturdy blows 
hewed down the forests and planted beside their 
homes the church and the school-house, as auguries 
of a brighter coming day — 

'* Now all beneath the turf are laid, 
AVhereon they liTed and toiled and prayed. " 

Seven generations have cultivated these fields, and 
made their homes upon these hills and beside these 
streams ; have here lived out their little span, and 
then gone to their final rest. In the long and 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 215 

tedious struggle with an inhospitable climate and a 
barren soil ; in the desperate and bloody conflicts 
with the Indians ; in the contest for freedom and 
independence ; in the rise and progress of our 
present national prosperity and happiness; through- 
out all these scenes of trial, misfortune, discourage- 
ment and final triumph, they have nobly and man- 
fully performed their part. They have left us the 
fair inheritance which we now enjoy, and examples 
of patience, fortitude and heroism, of which any 
nation might well be proud. 

The errors of the Puritans have been often made 
the subjects of unmerited ridicule and censure. 
We do not approve, nor even wish to apologize for 
all their acts. We admit the absurdity of much in 
their manners, and the gloomy appearance of their 
domestic habits. We acknowledge that they were 
sometimes bigoted, intolerant, and superstitious. 
But these were the faults of their age, increased, 
perhaps, by the peculiar circumstances in which 
they were placed. Their heroism was nursed in 
frost and famine, and in frequent struggles with 
the unscrupulous and ever watchful savages. 
Hence the severe discipline of their lives and the 
austerity and precision of their manners. Stern 
wrestlers with the powers of nature and the dark 
forms of evil, they scorned to indulge in the refine- 
ments and luxuries of life. The elegancies and 
courtesies of the drawing-room could scarcely be 
expected of men struggling for a bare subsistence 
in the inhospitable wilderness. 



216 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

It has often been made a matter of reproach 
that while they were themselves fugitives from 
persecution in England, they in their turn scourged 
and imprisoned heretics and quakers in this coun- 
try. In partial apology, it may be urged that the 
conduct of the latter was often such as would pro- 
voke, even in our day, at least a strait jacket, and 
the restaints of a lunatic asylum. When men and 
women entered the sanctuary without a vestige of 
clothing (as some of the quakers did) under the 
pretence of testifying against the spiritual naked- 
ness of the people, we cannot wonder that severe 
measures were taken to check and restrain them. 

The bigotry and intolerance of the Puritans 
arose from the intensity of their religious convic- 
tions. They were in earnest in seeking the salva- 
tion of their souls. And when they beheld the 
propagation of doctrines which they conceived to 
be false and pernicious, they felt it to be their duty 
to interpose the strong arm of power. In this course 
they erred, for thought cannot be fettered, and the 
attempt to do it only provokes renewed rebellion. 
But they acted sincerely according to the light 
they had, and should be judged according to the 
spirit and opinion of their times. Their faults 
were the faults of their age ; their virtues were all 
their own. Believing as they did in the existence 
and power of evil spirits, it is not strange that 
their sombre imaginations should have peopled the 
dark recesses of the forest with their presence and 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 217 

agency, or attributed to their influence the novel 
and unaccountable manifestations of disease. These 
errors they shared with the profoundest philoso- 
phers and wisest statesmen of their day. I have 
adverted to the fact that four Wenham men were 
upon the jury, which tried the cases of witchcraft 
in this county, and that Thomas Fisk, the patriarch 
of the town, was their foreman. We wonder at 
their superstition ; but in this age of Millerism, 
and Mormonism, and Spiritual Rappings, have we 
much right to blame or ridicule our forefathers ? 

We boast of our liberality and enlightenment, 
but let us beware lest we mistake indecision and 
indifference for liberality and toleration in religious 
things. Let us remember, " that if controversy is 
a sign of imperfect development or distempered 
action, indifference, whether in philosophy or 
religion, is death." Christianity has never assumed 
the attitude of compromise ; it has never aimed to 
establish a patchwork alKance of right and wrong, 
of truth and error. While therefore we renounce 
the application of force, and allow to every one the 
utmost freedom of conscience, let us hold fast the 
love of truth with a sincerity and devotion not 
inferior to that of our noble forefathers. 

The history of Wenham has not been marked by 
any great and striking events, nor even by any 
startling incidents. The changes which have been 
described have resulted from the slow and silent 
progress of time. They have been effected by 



218 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

those gradual and scarcely perceptible, yet mighty 
influences which are often unnoticed by the common 
observer and even by the historian, but which are 
yet most powerful in determining the destinies of 
individuals and communities, as well as of nations. 

The inhabitants of this town have been 
characterized by industry, prudence, and love of 
order. They have generally been cautious and 
frugal, rather than bold and enterprising. Thus 
while they have not shared largely in the gains of 
speculation, they have been free from its losses and 
reverses. It has also been characteristic of them 
in former times to live soberly and peaceably. 
Eeligious quarrels have been seldom known. 
Cases of litigation have been so few and unim- 
portant that no member of the legal profession has 
ever thought it worth while to take up his abode 
here. In old times, vagabonds and w^orthless 
characters from abroad w^ere often warned from 
town. •' So far as we can learn," says Rev. D. 
Mansfield, " no one of the original settlers, or of 
their descendents, has ever been charged with a 
capital crime, and no citizen of Wenham has ever 
been a tenant of a state prison." 

The generations who have lived here before us 
were a strictly pious people, blending the religious 
sentiment with all their purposes and actions. In 
times of trial and calamity, they resorted to fast- 
ing and prayer. They loved the house of God. 
The Sabbath was to them a day of sacred rest, and 



HISTORY OF WENHAM. 219 

observed with a strictness and severity now almost 
unknown. And they diligently trained up their 
children to follow in their footsteps and to imitate 
their example. 

We boast that we are better than our fathers, 
and as a people, we are undoubtedly more 
numerous and wealthy, more inteUigent and re- 
fined. But have we more of the elements '^^of real 
life, of energy, and of heroism ? Could we endure 
the trials which they endured, and come out of 
them so little scathed ? With more of elegance 
and polish have we not lost something of their 
stern virtue, and rugged native strength. In the 
progress of luxury and refinement, let us beware 
that we depart not too much from the simplicity, 
earnestness, and intensity of faith and action, which 
charactized our fathers. 

A feeling of profound melancholy naturally 
steals over the mind in perusing the names and 
actions of those, who once lived and labored like 
us, but whose only memorial is now contained in 
the scarely legible and fast decaying pages of our 
records. Our fathers where are they ? The early 
settlers of the town and all who were conspicuous 
in the first century and a half of its history, are 
sleeping in the grave. 

Thus generation follows generation, while in 
turn each lives and bustles, 

•' And struts and frets its hour upon the stage, 
And then— is seen no more. ' ' 



220 HISTORY OF WENHAM. 

lu a few years we too shall be with them, while 
another generation shall move over these grounds 
and occupy our places. 

Yet the general lesson of history is not that of 
despondency and gloom. From the earliest settle- 
ment of Wenham till the present time, we believe 
there has been a steady course of progress and im- 
provement. Let is be our effort that this onward 
march be continued. History does not repeat itself; 
the Puritan of 1640, and the Patriot of 1776, will 
never return. * But it is possible for us to live 
nobly and manfully as well as they. While we 
honor their virtues and cherish the noble institu- 
tions of freedom, of education and religion, which 
they left us, let us seek to combine with their 
simplicity, sincerity, and intensity of purpose, a 
finer taste, a higher culture, an increase of know- 
ledge, and a more intelligent faith. It remains for 
us to finish the glorious temple of which they 
formed the noble plan and laid the firm foundation. 



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